Public Domain
Down to the Sea in Ships
1922 · Whaling Film Corporation · Dir. Elmer Clifton
Being the story of the Morgans, a 19th-century Massachusetts whaling family, their tightly-knit Quaker community, and the dangerous adventures of an unwilling stowaway aboard one of the elder Morgan's harvest vessels.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Down to the Sea in Ships' premiered at the Olympia Theatre in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in September 1922 and went into wide release in 1923. Under the current U.S. copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their copyright terms.
The film was originally registered for copyright by the Whaling Film Corp. on February 16, 1923 (Registration Number LP18698). Even if the copyright had been renewed in its 28th year (which would have occurred in or around 1950-1951), the maximum possible protection period for 1922-1923 works has now concluded. As of January 1, 2019, all films from 1923 and earlier are part of the public domain in the United States. This specific film is well-documented in the public domain and is widely available through various archives and public domain distributors.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Public Domain Review (1923 Expiration Records)
- IMDb: Down to the Sea in Ships (1922)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.