Public Domain
Crossed Wires
1915 · Thanhouser Film Corporation · Dir. J. Gunnis Davis
Crossed telephone wires enable Helen to overhear a plot between Joe and Bill, escaped convicts, to join a number of Chinese who are being smuggled into the country in a freight train.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of their original registration or renewal status. 'Crossed Wires' was released on June 29, 1915, by the Thanhouser Film Corporation and featured Florence La Badie.
Because the film was released well before the 1928 cutoff, its statutory copyright term has expired. No further search of renewal records is required for works of this age, as they cannot be under copyright protection in the United States today.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. (thanhouser.org)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- 17 U.S.C. § 304 (Copyright Act of 1976 and the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.