Public Domain
Cockeyed: Gems from the Memory of a Nutty Cameraman
1925 · Standard Photoplay · Dir. Alvin Knechtel
Cockeyed, which manipulates city scenes of New York into visual fantasies, is a segment from Pathé Review, a one-reel U.S. weekly begun in 1920 and promoted as “the Magazine of the Screen.” Pathé distinguished its weekly newsreel (“all news all the time”) from its lighter Review (“the best obtainable…scenics and the like”).
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Cockeyed: Gems from the Memory of a Nutty Cameraman' was released in 1925. Under the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, all works published in the United States prior to January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain regardless of whether they were originally registered or renewed.
This specific title is categorized as an 'experimental' or 'novelty' short film, often associated with the 'Novelty' or 'Standard' series of the mid-1920s. Because its release year (1925) precedes the current rolling cutoff for copyright protection (1929), its status as public domain is definitive under U.S. law.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright
- IMDb: Cockeyed (1925)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Reference for period context)
- Hurst, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894–1939
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.