Public Domain
The Clodhopper
1917 · Triangle Film Corporation · Dir. Victor Schertzinger
Everett Nelson is a naive young farmboy. Following unjust treatment on the farm, he runs away to the big city. There he encounters a showman who decides Everett is perfect for the part of a bumpkin in his new play. Everett takes the role and becomes a big star. But there are complications...
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Clodhopper (1917), starring Charles Ray and directed by Victor Schertzinger, is a US-produced motion picture that was originally released and registered for copyright in 1917.
Under the United States Copyright Act of 1909 and its subsequent amendments, works published before January 1, 1928, have reached the end of their maximum possible copyright term (specifically, the 95-year limit for works published between 1923 and 1977, or the 75-year limit for earlier works). Because this film was released in 1917, it entered the public domain in the United States decades ago regardless of whether a renewal was filed.
The film is currently preserved in several archives, including the Library of Congress and the George Eastman Museum, and is widely acknowledged as public domain in filmographies and scholarly databases covering silents of the Triangle Film Corporation era.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf
- https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/resources/public-domain-films/
- National Endowment for the Arts: American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Feature Films, 1911-1920
- Internet Archive: The Clodhopper (1917)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.