Public Domain
The Usurer's Grip
1912 · Edison Manufacturing Company · Dir. Charles Brabin
Here with the Edison Company -- most notably Charles Ogle as the usurer -- we see a 'typical' case of the victims of usury. Although offered as a 'realistic' view of the effects of usury, it veers frequently into melodrama.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Usurer's Grip was released in 1912 by the Edison Manufacturing Company in cooperation with the Russell Sage Foundation. Under US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1929, have entered the public domain regardless of whether they were originally registered or renewed.
The film was a 'social message' short intended to warn the public against the dangers of loan sharks. Because it was published more than 95 years ago, its term of copyright protection has expired by operation of law. The film is currently held in several archives, including the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art, and is widely available on public domain repositories such as the Internet Archive.
Note: generated without live web grounding (the grounded research engine was unavailable). Verify the cited sources independently before relying on this determination.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- Library of Congress (National Film Preservation Board)
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1893-1910/1911-1920 index)
- Internet Archive
- 17 U.S.C. § 304
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.