The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals

This short comedy film, directed by D.W. Griffith for the Biograph Company, was released in February 1909. Under U.S. copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain due to the expiration of their copyright terms. The film was originally registered as a motion picture at the time of its release (Copyright Reg. No. H122676, Feb 15, 1909). Even if the copyright had been renewed under the 1909 Act, the maximum possible term of protection was 95 years, which would have seen the copyright expire no later than 2004. As it stands, the 1928 cutoff for the public domain is the governing rule for this title.