Public Domain
The Daughter of Dawn
1920 · Texas-Guinan Productions · Dir. Norbert A. Myles
The Daughter of Dawn is a silent Western, and one of the few films of the silent era to have an entirely Native American cast. It tells the story of a Kiowa woman and her lover, his feats of bravery, and their trials at the hands of a jealous rival and Comanche warriors. Completed in 1920, it was only shown a few times before being considered lost. Five reels of the movie were found in 2005, and restored by the Oklahoma Historical Society in 2012.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Daughter of Dawn was originally filmed and completed in 1920. Under the current US copyright framework, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film falls squarely within that category.
Historically, the film was believed to be lost for decades until a copy was discovered in 2005 and later restored by the Oklahoma Historical Society. While the restoration itself may have thin copyrights on specific new creative elements, the underlying 1920 motion picture is legally public domain due to the expiration of the maximum statutory term of 95 years (which, for a 1920 work, concluded no later than 2015, though it likely lapsed much earlier if it was never renewed under the 1909 Act).
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress (National Film Registry)
- Oklahoma Historical Society
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- 17 U.S.C. § 304
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.