Public Domain
Seeing Yosemite with David A. Curry
1916 · Foster & Kleiser
This Travelogue has some interesting title cards as we see David A. Curry shouting and then where his shout is "pointed" is a description of what we're about to see.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under US copyright law, any work published with a copyright notice or registered for copyright before January 1, 1928, is definitively in the public domain in the United States. This film, a promotional documentary featuring David A. Curry (the founder of Camp Curry in Yosemite), was produced and distributed in 1916 by Foster & Kleiser.
Because the film was released more than 95 years ago and falls well before the 1928 cutoff, its copyright has expired regardless of whether it was originally registered or renewed. It is now part of the public domain, and its status is not subject to modern restoration acts (URAA) as it is a domestic US production. Copies of this film are held in several archives, including the Library of Congress and the National Park Service, and it is frequently cited in historical filmographies of Yosemite National Park.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- U.S. Copyright Office, Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- National Park Service: Yosemite National Park Archives
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Historical Archives)
- Hurst, Richard Maurice. 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.