Public Domain
Katchem Kate
1912 · Biograph Company · Dir. Mack Sennett
Mabel seems to be working ironing dresses in a dress shop when something catches her attention in a newspaper. Apparently, it is an ad on becoming a detective. Mabel goes rushing off to a Detective school run by Fred Ward.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current United States copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 304), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. Katchem Kate was released on October 14, 1912, as a American Biograph production directed by Mack Sennett and starring Mabel Normand.
As a film published in 1912, its maximum possible copyright protection lasted for 95 years from the year of publication (passing through the 28-year initial term and 67-year renewal term cycles established by the Copyright Act of 1909 and the 1976 extensions). Since this period expired at the end of 2007, and it is well before the current 1928 cutoff for public domain status, the film is definitively in the public domain in the United States.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- IMDb: Katchem Kate (1912)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Katchem Kate
- U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 15a (Duration of Copyright)
- Internet Archive: Katchem Kate (1912) Biograph
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.