Public Domain
The Wild Engine
1915 · Kalem Company · Dir. J.P. McGowan
Helen, informed of the danger which menaces an excursion train because another engine on the same track is running wild, mounts a motorcycle and speeds down the track to warn the passengers of their imminent peril. Nearing a river trestle under repair, she hurtles into the river; undaunted, she swims to the opposite bank and flags down the excursion train in the nick of time, causing the engineer to run his train onto a siding just a few moments before the runaway dashes by.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
The Wild Engine (1915) is a short film and chapter from the famous railroad adventure serial 'The Hazards of Helen,' starring Helen Holmes. Under the United States Copyright Act of 1976 (and subsequently the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act), all works published or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office prior to January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain.
Because this film was released in 1915, its original 28-year copyright term and its subsequent renewal term (originally 28 years, extended to 47 and eventually 67 years) have all expired. Even if it had been perfectly renewed, it would have entered the public domain no later than 95 years after its publication (approximately 2010). As of 2024, all films from 1915 are definitively in the public domain in the United States.
— Cited Sources —
Supporting facts
- https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf
- https://archive.org/details/hazardsofhelen
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0440013/
- Film Superlist: Motion Pictures in the U.S. Public Domain 1894-1939 (Hurst)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.