Public Domain
The Three Musketeers
1921 · Douglas Fairbanks Pictures · Dir. Fred Niblo
In 17th century France, young D'Artagnan wants to join the King's Musketeers, but instead befriends three legendary musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—and together, they become embroiled in the political intrigue surrounding King Louis XIII and his adversaries, particularly the powerful Cardinal Richelieu.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The 1921 film 'The Three Musketeers' starring Douglas Fairbanks and directed by Fred Niblo entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 1997. Under the Copyright Act of 1909 and the subsequent 1976 and 1998 extensions, films from this era were granted a maximum of 75 years of protection from their date of publication (28 years for the first term plus a 47-year renewal).
Because the film was published in 1921, its maximum copyright term expired at the end of 1996. Any work published in the United States before January 1, 1929, is now definitively in the public domain regardless of whether the copyright was renewed. This is a bright-line rule under current US copyright law (17 USC § 304).
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf
- https://archive.org/details/ThreeMusketeers1921
- https://penn-cce.us/ (Catalog of Copyright Entries)
- Hurst, Richard Maurice. Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.