Public Domain
The Salvation Hunters
1925 · Academy Photoplays / United Artists · Dir. Josef von Sternberg
A hopelessly hopeful drifter, a bitter young woman, and a helpless child live on the docks, spending their days in poverty and listless wandering. Overhead, a dredge hauls up mud and trash from the nearby seabed-- the same mud and trash from the day before. They finally decide to leave for the city to seek fulfillment, only to encounter further privation, destitution, temptation.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Salvation Hunters, directed by Josef von Sternberg, was released in the United States in 1925. According to the United States copyright law in effect at the time (the 1909 Act), works published with a copyright notice were protected for an initial term of 28 years. To maintain protection beyond that period, a renewal had to be filed with the U.S. Copyright Office during the 28th year of the first term.
Research of the Stanford Copyright Renewal Database and the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE) indicates that no renewal registration was ever filed for this film. Under the law, failure to renew the copyright in its 28th year caused the work to fall into the public domain. Furthermore, all works published in the United States prior to 1928 are now in the public domain regardless of renewal status due to the expiration of the maximum 95-year term. As a 1925 release, this film's copyright would have expired no later than the end of 1953 (if not renewed) or 2020 (if it had been renewed). Since it was not renewed, it has been in the public domain for decades.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain (Hurst/Baer)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.