Leap Year

Under current United States copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their maximum copyright term (95 years). Leap Year (1921), starring Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and directed by James Cruze, falls well before this cutoff. While the film was completed in 1921, its US release was delayed for many years due to the scandal involving Arbuckle, and it was primarily seen in Europe during the 1920s. However, regardless of the specific US theatrical release date, the production date and initial publication date are within the era where all protection has since lapsed. Even if the copyright had been perfectly maintained and renewed, it would have expired no later than the end of 1996 (75 years after 1921).