Public Domain
Pretty Ladies
1925 · Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) · Dir. Monta Bell
Maggie, a headlining comedienne with the Follies, takes a fall off the stage into the orchestra pit and lands on the drum of musician Al Cassidy. One thing leads to another, they fall in love and get married. Al becomes a famous songwriter and Maggie stays home and has children. One day Al is hired to write a big number for Selma Larson, one of the Follies' most beautiful stars, and falls for her.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current copyright laws of the United States, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. 'Pretty Ladies' was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on July 15, 1925, and was registered for copyright by Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corp. on September 21, 1925 (LP21841).
Because the film was published and registered in 1925, its maximum possible copyright term was 95 years from the date of publication (which would have expired at the end of 2020). However, the absolute cutoff for the '95-year rule' currently applies to films from 1928 onward; anything from 1927 or earlier is automatically public domain regardless of renewals. Consequently, this film became public domain on January 1, 2021.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912–1939
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: Pretty Ladies (1925)
- Hurst, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894-1939)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.