Public Domain
The Fickle Spaniard
1912 · Biograph Company · Dir. Mack Sennett
A Mack Sennett comedy from the time he worked for Biograph starring Mabel Normand & Fred Mace.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'The Fickle Spaniard' was a comedic short directed by Dell Henderson and Mack Sennett, released by the Biograph Company (Mary Pickford is among the cast). It was released in May 1912.
Under US copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film falls well before that cutoff. Furthermore, it is listed in the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) under the Biograph Company registrations for 1912 (LP110). Even if a renewal had been attempted, the maximum term for a 1912 work was 75 years (ending in 1987) or 95 years (ending in 2007), but the 1928 rule superseded these long durations for early silent films.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1912, Motion Pictures, Vol 9, No 1, LP110
- IMDb: The Fickle Spaniard (1912)
- The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures: Film Beginnings, 1893-1910 - Biograph entries
- Silent Era: The Fickle Spaniard
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.