Public Domain
The Matrimaniac
1916 · Fine Arts Film Company · Dir. Paul Powell
A young couple attempts to elope, with the bride's irate father in hot pursuit. The train stops briefly and the young man dashes off to find a minister, but before he can get himself and the minister onto the train, it leaves, carrying his bride-to- be away. Now the young man, minister in tow, pursues his bride while her father and a horde of lawmen pursue them both.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Matrimaniac, directed by Paul Powell and starring Douglas Fairbanks, was released on December 16, 1916. Under the current United States copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 304), all works published or registered before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This occurs regardless of whether a copyright was ever registered or renewed, as the maximum possible term of 95 years from the date of publication has expired for all works from this era.
Since the film was released in 1916, its copyright expired no later than the end of 1991 (based on the previous 75-year rule) and was not extended by the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act, which only applied to works still under copyright at the time of its passage. Therefore, the film is definitively in the public domain in the United States.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-admissions-list/
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0007044/
- Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: 1894-1939, Volume 1.
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.