Public Domain
The Jack-Knife Man
1920 · First National Pictures · Dir. King Vidor
A dying mother left his child with an old man, but the village people want to take the child away from him because he is too old.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Jack-Knife Man, directed by King Vidor, was released in the United States on August 16, 1920. Under the current U.S. copyright law (the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998), all works published or registered in the U.S. prior to January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their statutory copyright terms.
The film was originally registered for copyright by King W. Vidor Productions on August 7, 1920, with the registration number LP15424. Even if the copyright had been properly renewed in its 28th year (circa 1948), the maximum possible protection period for a 1920 work was 95 years, which would have expired no later than the end of 2015. Consequently, the film is now definitively in the public domain.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries: Motion Pictures 1912-1939
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Jack-Knife Man (1920)
- U.S. Copyright Office - Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.