The Tale the Autumn Leaves Told

This film was released in early 1908 by the Selig Polyscope Company, as documented in contemporary editions of The Moving Picture World and the AFI Catalog of Feature Films (though this is a short film). Under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the subsequent Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, all works published or registered in the United States prior to January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain regardless of renewal status. At the time of its release, the maximum possible duration of copyright protection was 56 years (an initial 28-year term plus a 28-year renewal). Even if the copyright had been perfectly maintained, it would have expired no later than 1964. However, the 1928 cutoff provides a definitive 'bright-line' rule for public domain status in the United States. No further investigation into registration or renewal is required for works of this age.