Public Domain
His Picture in the Papers
1916 · Fine Arts Film Company · Dir. John Emerson
Produced at the Reliance studio in Yonkers, New York, HIS PICTURE IN THE PAPERS solidly established Fairbanks as the American ideal of pop, vim, and vigor. Furthermore, the film brought him together with the two collaborators who were to play a profound role in the evolution of his screen persona: writer Anita Loos and her future husband, director John Emerson. The theme was, according to Emerson and Loos, "the great American love of publicity."
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
His Picture in the Papers is definitively in the public domain in the United States because it was published in 1916. Under the current US copyright law (specifically the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain as their maximum possible 95-year term has expired.
The film was produced by the Fine Arts Film Company and distributed by Triangle Film Corporation, starring Douglas Fairbanks. Because its original copyright term (28 years) plus the renewal term (initially 28 years, then extended by various acts) lasted a maximum of 95 years, the copyright expired no later than January 1, 1992 (long before the current 1928 cutoff was reached). It is widely available in public domain archives and through various PD distributors.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.