Public Domain
Emigrants Landing at Ellis Island
1903 · Thomas A. Edison, Inc. · Dir. A.C. Abadie
Shows a large open barge loaded with people of every nationality, disembarking at Ellis Island, N. Y. A most interesting and typical scene.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Emigrants Landing at Ellis Island' was released in 1903 and was produced by Thomas A. Edison's film manufacturing company. It was filmed by Alfred C. Abadie on July 9, 1903, and registered for copyright shortly thereafter (Record No. H33535).
Under US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film, having been published in 1903, is well beyond the maximum 95-year term that would have applied under the 1976 Act and the Sony Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. The original copyright has expired by operation of law.
The film is currently maintained in the Library of Congress's Paper Print Collection and is widely available through public domain repositories such as the Internet Archive and the Library of Congress's own digital archives.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress (Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division) - Paper Print Collection
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Hurst, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
- Niver, Kemp R. Early Motion Pictures: The Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress (1985)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.