How They Rob Men in Chicago

This short film was released in 1900 by the American Mutoscope & Biograph Company. Under the Copyright Act of 1909 and its various extensions, any work published or registered in the United States before January 1, 1928, has reached the end of its statutory copyright term and has entered the public domain. Specifically, works from 1900 would have been protected for a maximum of 56 years (an initial 28-year term plus a 28-year renewal) under the laws of that era. Even with subsequent term extensions (such as the 1976 and 1998 Acts), no legislative mechanism exists to extend the copyright of a work that entered the public domain prior to those laws taking effect. Consequently, this film became part of the public domain no later than 1957.