Public Domain
The Return of Draw Egan
1916 · Triangle Film Corp (Kay-Bee Pictures) · Dir. William S. Hart
A small town marshal’s secret past as an outlaw comes back to haunt him when an old associate shows up and threatens to expose his former dark deeds.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The film 'The Return of Draw Egan,' directed by and starring William S. Hart, was released in the United States on October 1, 1916. Under current US copyright law, all works published or registered before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain regardless of their renewal status.
The film was originally registered for copyright by Triangle Film Corp. on September 18, 1916 (LP9162). Even if the copyright had been renewed in its 28th year (circa 1944), the maximum possible protection period for a work from 1916 ended 75 years after publication (1991), which predated the extensions granted by the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act. Therefore, the film is conclusively in the public domain due to the expiration of its statutory term.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress CCE (1916, Motion Pictures, LP9162)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (The Return of Draw Egan, 1916)
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- 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.