Public Domain
The Fatherhood of Buck McGee
1912 · Selig Polyscope Company · Dir. Rollin S. Sturgeon
A gruff prospector with a distaste for women and children suddenly finds, when his mining partner dies in an accident, himself responsible for the man's orphaned daughter.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'The Fatherhood of Buck McGee' was released on September 24, 1912, as a one-reel Western directed by Tom Mix or William Duncan (sources vary) and produced by the Selig Polyscope Company. Under United States copyright law, every work published before January 1, 1928, has entered the public domain due to the expiration of its maximum possible term of protection.
As a film from 1912, it was subject to the 1909 Copyright Act, which provided an initial 28-year term followed by a 28-year renewal term, totaling a maximum of 56 years. Even if renewals had been filed, the copyright would have expired by 1968. Under the current 1976 Act and subsequent extensions (such as the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act), all works published prior to 1928 are definitively in the public domain in the U.S. as of January 1, 2023.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (referenced via contemporary shorts records)
- Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Volume 1 (Short Films)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.