Public Domain
The Ruse
1915 · Mutual Film Corporation / New York Motion Picture Corporation · Dir. William S. Hart
"Bat" Peters, reformed gunfighter turned prospector, travels to Chicago to collect on a business deal with a mine promoter who turns out to be crooked.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under the current copyright laws of the United States, all works published or registered before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain. This film, starring William S. Hart and directed by Hart and Thomas H. Ince, was released on July 19, 1915. Because it was released well before the 1929 cutoff, its copyright protection has expired by operation of law.
Even under the older 1909 Copyright Act, which required a 28-year initial term and a 28-year renewal, the maximum possible protection for a 1915 film would have expired in 1971. No renewal could have extended its life into the current century. As a US production from the silent era, it is definitively in the public domain.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Ruse (1915)
- IMDb: The Ruse (1915)
- U.S. Copyright Office: Circular 15a (Duration of Copyright)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.