Is Tarzan of the Apes (1918) public domain?

Country of origin: US · Last verified: 2026-09-01 · Researched by Dir. Scott Sidney · Elmo Lincoln as Tarzan · National Film Corp. of America / First National Pictures, 1918

Film print: Clear — this verdict covers the film print only, not the layers below.

⚠️ Planning to upload or monetize? A public-domain film print does not clear the music score, story, or restorations — and the score is the single most common cause of YouTube Content ID claims. Check every layer, not just the print.
Pre-1972 sound recordings can be protected under US state law and the Music Modernization Act until 2067 or later — the print being public domain does not free the recorded music.

Watching: Watching via the linked archival copies is generally the lowest-risk activity.

Reusing / monetizing: The film print may be free, but at least one layer (music, story, or restoration) is unresolved — expect Content ID claims; keep evidence handy and consider removing or replacing the score.

📄 Download the print-layer research packet (Markdown) — citations you can attach to a dispute. Not legal advice; print layer only.

Rights, layer by layer

A film is not one copyright — it is several. Each layer below can be free or protected independently. This is why one-click “public domain” answers are wrong so often.

Film print (photoplay)	Clear	term_expiry US theatrical release January 27, 1918. Under 17 U.S.C. § 304 the maximum copyright term for pre-1978 US works was 28 years renewable for 28 more (later extended). Every applicable term for a 1918 work — original term expiring 1946, renewal term expiring no later than 1974 under the pre-CTEA framework — has fully elapsed. Under the bright-line rule all works published in the United States in 1930 or earlier are public domain as of 2026. — US Copyright Office — Duration of Copyright (Circular 15a)
Music score	Active rights	research_note Silent film: the original exhibition print carries no synchronized recorded score. The image track is public domain by term expiry. Any musical score added to a modern home-video or streaming release (including Archive.org copies) is an independent work whose copyright depends on when it was composed and recorded; such modern accompaniments are not in the public domain. — US Copyright Office — Duration of Copyright (Circular 15a); general silent-film image/sound split doctrine
Underlying story / screenplay	Clear	term_expiry The film adapts Edgar Rice Burroughs' novel 'Tarzan of the Apes,' first published in All-Story Magazine in October 1912 and as a book by A. C. McClurg & Co. in June 1914. Both publication dates are pre-1930; the underlying literary work is public domain in the US by term expiry and carries no surviving copyright protection. — US Copyright Office — Duration of Copyright (Circular 15a)
Character trademarks	Active rights	research_note Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. (ERB Inc.), the holding company Burroughs himself incorporated, actively holds and enforces trademark rights in the 'Tarzan' name and character across numerous commercial classes. Trademark protection is independent of copyright and does not expire with the film's copyright term; ERB Inc. continues to license and police the mark and is known to pursue infringers. — Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. — official IP licensing entity for the Tarzan franchise
Restorations / re-releases	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.

Automatic rule notes

Published 1918: US copyright term (95 years) has expired for works published through 1930 — the film print is public domain in the US by term expiry, regardless of country of origin.

Watch it free (archival copies)

Background

Produced by National Film Corporation of America and distributed by First National Pictures, Tarzan of the Apes opened January 27, 1918 at the Broadway Theatre in New York — the first Tarzan film ever made. Director Scott Sidney cast Elmo Lincoln as adult Tarzan and Gordon Griffith as the boy, adapting Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1912 novel only six years after its magazine debut. The film was a landmark commercial hit, reportedly the first American feature to gross $1 million in domestic rentals, launching a franchise that has never stopped. The print survives, though the commonly circulating cut runs about 61 minutes against an original length exceeding 100 minutes.

For creators the film print is a fully free resource, with one concrete trap. Published in 1918, every US copyright term has elapsed by decades; the underlying Burroughs novel (first published 1912) is equally clear. The trap is trademark: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.—the company Burroughs himself founded to control the franchise—holds active, aggressively enforced trademark rights in the Tarzan name and character. Distributing or exhibiting the film requires no copyright license whatsoever. Attaching the Tarzan brand to commercial products, merchandise, or a titled project requires a separate trademark clearance from ERB Inc., and the company is known to pursue infringers regardless of the film's public-domain status.

Common questions

Is the 1918 Tarzan of the Apes film in the public domain?

Yes, unambiguously. The film was released in the United States on January 27, 1918. The original 28-year US copyright term expired in 1946, and even if the copyright was renewed the second term would have expired no later than 1974. All works published in the US in 1930 or earlier are now in the public domain by term expiry — no renewal research is needed to confirm PD status for this film.

Can I use the Tarzan name and character in a commercial project based on this film?

Exhibiting or distributing the film itself is free. However, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. holds active trademark rights over the 'Tarzan' name and character that survive the film's copyright expiry. Any commercial use of the Tarzan brand — titles, merchandise, sequels, branded content — requires a trademark license from ERB Inc. independent of the film's copyright status.