Public Domain
Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life
1925 · Famous Players-Lasky / Paramount Pictures · Dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack
A silent documentary which follows a branch of the Bakhtiari tribe of Persia as they and their herds make their epic seasonal journey to better pastures.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life' was directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack and released in the United States by Paramount Pictures (Famous Players-Lasky) in 1925. Under the Copyright Act of 1909 and the duration rules established by the 1976 Act and the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain in the United States.
Even if the film had been properly registered and renewed by Paramount, the maximum 95-year term for works for hire published in 1925 would have expired on December 31, 2020. Consequently, there are no remaining copyright protections for this work under U.S. law. The film is widely available in the public domain, including high-quality restorations by Milestone Films which hold their own copyright on new elements but do not affect the public domain status of the original 1925 footage.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15A: Duration of Copyright
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Grass (1925)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Internet Archive: Grass (1925) Public Domain Transfer
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.