Public Domain
The Politician's Love Story
1909 · Biograph Company · Dir. D.W. Griffith
A haughty politician, on seeing a satirical cartoon in a newspaper, rushes to the paper's offices to shoot the cartoonist. On discovering the cartoonist is a pretty woman, he falls instantly in love and wastes no time in trying to woo her.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of their original registration or renewal status. As this film was produced and released in 1909, its maximum term of copyright protection has expired.
The film was directed by D. W. Griffith for the Biograph Company (formally the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company). It is documented in the Library of Congress and various film archives as a historical short from the early silent era. Because it predates the current 95-year copyright term for corporate works, no renewal search is required to confirm its status.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.loc.gov/item/00694301/
- Internet Movie Database (IMDb): The Politician's Love Story (1909)
- D.W. Griffith: His Biograph Period (Spehr/Henderson)
- Hurst / D. Richard Baer, Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (1894–1939)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.