Is The Paleface (1922) public domain?

Country of origin: US · Last verified: 2026-09-12 · Researched by Dir. Buster Keaton & Edward F. Cline; prod. Joseph M. Schenck; dist. First National Pictures, 1922, 21 min.

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 Published 1922 in the US. The 28-year initial term expired in 1950; no renewal was filed. All US works published before 1928 are unambiguously in the public domain. — U.S. Copyright Office — Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright renewal_absence_search Searched CCE Part 14A Renewal Registrations Jan–Dec 1949 (Vol 3) and Jan–Dec 1950 (Vol 4) — the two volumes that would capture a renewal of a 1922 publication. Neither 'The Paleface' nor 'Paleface' appears in either year's records. — Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series, Part 14A Renewals 1950 — Library of Congress / archive.org
Music score	Active rights	research_note The 1922 release was silent; the print itself carries no synchronized score and is public domain by term expiry. Any musical score on a modern copy — including the Kino Lorber 2K restoration or the Cohen/Cineteca di Bologna restoration — is a separately copyrighted recording not covered by the 1922 term expiry. — U.S. Copyright Office — Copyright in Derivative Works and Compilations (Circular 14)
Underlying story / screenplay	Clear	term_expiry The screenplay is an original work by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline written for the 1922 production; no prior published literary source has been identified in any reference consulted. It was published as part of the 1922 film and shares its term-expiry analysis. — U.S. Copyright Office — Circular 15a: Duration of Copyright
Character trademarks	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.
Restorations / re-releases	Active rights	research_note Kino Lorber holds a 2K restoration included in 'Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection (1917–1923)' on Blu-ray. Cohen Film Collection holds a separate restoration performed by Cineteca di Bologna at L'Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory. Both are independently copyrighted derivative works. — Cohen Media Group — The Paleface product page

Automatic rule notes

Published 1922: 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

The Paleface is a 21-minute two-reel silent comedy released January 1922 by First National Pictures, produced by Joseph M. Schenck and directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline. Keaton plays a hapless butterfly collector who stumbles into a standoff between a Native American tribe and a gang of oil-land swindlers; the tribe condemns him to death, he fashions asbestos underwear to survive a burning-at-the-stake, and is adopted as 'Little Chief Paleface' before helping recover the tribe's stolen land deed. First National never renewed the copyright in 1949–1950, and no renewal entry appears in either year's CCE Part 14A records — the film has been circulating freely for decades and is a dependable mid-length short for compilations, silent-comedy retrospectives, and illustrative documentary clips.

The one practical trap is the restoration layer. Kino Lorber holds a 2K restoration in its Shorts Collection 1917–1923 Blu-ray, and Cohen Film Collection holds a separate restoration by Cineteca di Bologna at L'Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory — both are independently copyrighted derivative works. Archive.org hosts earlier unrestored transfers; use those, not the polished restoration releases. Any musical score found on a copy is also separately protected: the 1922 film was released silent, so no score is covered by the public-domain print.

Common questions

Can I use footage from The Paleface (1922) in a documentary or online video?

Yes — the underlying silent print is public domain. First National Pictures did not file a copyright renewal in 1949–1950, so protection lapsed at the end of the 28-year initial term. Source your footage from an unrestored archive.org transfer rather than from the Kino Lorber or Cohen Film Collection restoration releases, which carry their own modern copyright.

Does the film come with usable music?

No. The 1922 release was silent with no synchronized score; nothing on the audio side is covered by the film's public-domain status. Any music you find on a particular copy — a restoration track, a user-composed accompaniment — is a separately copyrighted work. You must license music independently or compose your own.