Public Domain
Orphans of the Storm
1921 · United Artists · Dir. D.W. Griffith
France, on the eve of the French Revolution. Henriette and Louise have been raised together as sisters. When the plague that takes their parents' lives causes Louise's blindness, they decide to travel to Paris in search of a cure, but they separate when a lustful aristocrat crosses their path.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'Orphans of the Storm' was directed by D.W. Griffith and released in December 1921. Under the United States Copyright Act of 1976 and subsequent extensions like the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, all works published before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain in the United States. Specifically, for works published between 1923 and 1928, copyright could last for a maximum of 95 years if renewed; however, works published in 1922 and earlier are now in the public domain regardless of renewal status.
Since this film was released in 1921, its statutory copyright term has expired. It entered the public domain 75 years after publication under older laws, or by the latest, on January 1, 1997. Because it predates the 1929 cutoff, there is no need to search for renewal records at the Copyright Office or in the Stanford Renewal Database to confirm its status today.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1921-1930)
- Internet Archive, Orphans of the Storm (1921)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database (Checked for 1949/1950 renewals as a courtesy, though unnecessary for 1921 works)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.