Public Domain
The Country Doctor
1909 · Biograph Company · Dir. D.W. Griffith
While caring for his sick daughter, a doctor is called away to the sickbed of a neighbor. He finds the neighbor gravely ill, and ignores his wife's pleas to come home and care for his own daughter, who has taken a turn for the worse.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Country Doctor is a short silent drama directed by D.W. Griffith and produced by the Biograph Company. It was released on July 8, 1909. According to US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of whether they were registered or renewed.
Even if the film had maintained a valid copyright through the initial 28-year term and a subsequent 28-year renewal term (under the 1909 Act), those terms have long since expired. The film is widely available in public domain archives, including the Library of Congress and the Internet Archive, and is frequently included in public domain DVD collections of early cinema.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.loc.gov/item/96515369/
- https://archive.org/details/TheCountryDoctor1909
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0000839/
- 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.