Public Domain
Spanish Bullfight
1900 · Edison Manufacturing Co. · Dir. Louis Lumière
With a crowded arena in the background, a stationary camera records a bull charging a picador astride his horse. An attendant on foot throws stones at the rump of the horse to get it to move. Various toreadors run past the bull to try to get him to charge or at least run about.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
This film was produced by Thomas Edison's Edison Manufacturing Co. and consists of various actuality shots of bullfights in Spain. Under United States copyright law, any work published prior to January 1, 1928, has definitively entered the public domain.
Research of the Library of Congress and the Catalog of Copyright Entries confirms that several films with this or nearly identical titles (e.g., 'Spanish Bullfight', 'Bull Fight', 'Spanish Bull-Fight No. 2') were registered as paper prints between 1900 and 1901. Regardless of whether the registration was maintained or the paper print was deposited, the age of the work (well over 95 years) ensures it is in the public domain in the US.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division
- Niver, Kemp R. 'Early Motion Pictures: The Paper Print Collection in the Library of Congress'
- Catalog of Copyright Entries, Cumulative Series; Motion Pictures, 1894-1912
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.