Public Domain
Santos Dumont Explaining His Air Ship to the Hon. C. S. Rolls
1901 · American Mutoscope and Biograph Company
A short documentary registering the meeting between two aviation pioneers: the Brazilian Santos Dumont and the Briton Charles Rolls. In it, Dumont presents his ideas for a future balloon, showing to Rolls the concept of such invention and the project with his notes, all of which the other man delightfully enjoys.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
This short film, produced by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company (AMBC), was released and registered for copyright in 1901. Under U.S. copyright law, any work published prior to January 1, 1928, has reached the end of its maximum possible protection period and has entered the public domain.
The film depicts the famous Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont showing his airship to Charles Rolls (the co-founder of Rolls-Royce). As a pre-1928 production, the film moved into the public domain 75 years after registration under the 1909 Act, or more simply, it is now part of the public domain because all copyrights for works of this era have expired regardless of renewal status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division (Catalog of Copyright Entries)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Early Cinema citations)
- Internet Archive, Prelinger Archives / Public Domain holdings
- U.S. Copyright Office, Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.