Public Domain
For His Son
1912 · Biograph Company · Dir. D.W. Griffith
A father, anxious for his son's financial well being, develops a special soda pop called Dopokoke which is laced with cocaine. Dopokoke is advertised as relief "for that tired feeling." The drink is a success, but the son becomes addicted to it, much to his father's regret. Loosely based on the allegations that the Coca-Cola company and other soft drink manufacturers laced their soda with dope.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
For His Son is a silent short film directed by D.W. Griffith and produced by the Biograph Company. It was released in the United States on January 22, 1912. Under US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of renewal status or notice.
The film reached the end of its statutory protection period long ago. According to the current US copyright term for works published before 1978 (95 years from publication), this film would have expired in 2007 even if it had been perfectly maintained and renewed. However, because it predates the 1928 cutoff, it is definitively in the public domain in the United States.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://shortfilms.org.uk/films/forhisson
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0002191/
- https://archive.org/details/ForHisSon1912
- 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.