Public Domain
The Kleptomaniac
1905 · Edison Manufacturing Co. · Dir. Edwin S. Porter
A well-dressed woman leaves her home and takes a carriage to a department store. While she is in the store, she steals several items, and is caught by store employees. Meanwhile, a poor woman with two small children steals a loaf of bread out of desperation, and she is quickly caught and arrested. Both women are taken to the police station and then into court, to see what penalty each of them must face.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Kleptomaniac, directed by Edwin S. Porter for the Edison Manufacturing Company, was released in early 1905. Under the US Copyright Act of 1909 and subsequent extensions, the maximum duration for any work published or registered before 1928 has expired.
Specifically, works published before January 1, 1928, entered the public domain in the United States no later than 75 years after their publication (or 95 years under the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act, but all pre-1928 works had already expired or reached their limit by 2023). As a 1905 production, the film is definitively in the public domain due to the expiration of its statutory copyright term.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress (Catalog of Copyright Entries)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
- Public Domain Review
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.