Public Domain
Episodes in the Life of a Gin Bottle
1925 · Educational Films Corporation of America · Dir. Bela von Block
A gin bottle is personified with a spirit. As the gin bottle changes hands the spirit of the bottle tempts the various possessors to take a drink. A pro-prohibition movie, the story exemplifies the tragedies of drinking.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Episodes in the Life of a Gin Bottle' was released in the United States in 1925 as part of the Lyman H. Howe's Hodge-Podge series, distributed by Educational Film Exchanges. Under the current US copyright law (17 USC §304), all works published or registered for copyright in the United States prior to January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of the maximum 95-year statutory term.
Since this film was released in 1925, its copyright expired no later than the end of 1953 (the 28th year) if it was not renewed, or in 2020 (the 95th year) if it had been renewed. However, the absolute cutoff for public domain status at the time of this analysis is January 1, 1929. Therefore, any US work from 1925 is definitively in the public domain regardless of whether a renewal was ever filed.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Motion Picture News (1925)
- 17 U.S.C. § 304
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.