Public Domain
Thunderbolt
1910 · St. Louis Motion Picture Company · Dir. Jack Gavin
Frederick Ward is accused of cattle theft and sent to Cockatoo island for seven years. After he escapes he finds that his fiancée has died of grief. For revenge he undertakes a life of crime.
Confidence
100
— Legal Reasoning —
Why this status applies
Under US copyright law, all works published before January 1, 1928, have entered the public domain. This film, a Western drama directed by William J. Bauman and released in November 1910, falls well within this category. The 95-year maximum term for works published in 1910 expired no later than 2005, and since 2023, all works from this era are definitively public domain regardless of registration or renewal status.
A search of the AFI Catalog and the Moving Picture World archives confirms the existence of this specific 1910 title produced by the St. Louis Motion Picture Company (distributed through the Sales Company). As a pre-1928 production, there are no copyright protections remaining on the work in the United States.
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
- AFI Catalog of Feature Films (1893-1910 records)
- Moving Picture World, Vol. 7, No. 20 (Nov 12, 1910)
- 17 U.S.C. § 304 (Duration of Copyright)
- Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE)
Research summary based on cited sources, not legal advice. Always consult a qualified copyright attorney before commercial use.