Is The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) public domain?

Name: The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Released: 1914

Country of origin: US · Last verified: 2026-07-16 · Researched by None

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 1914; the 95-year US copyright term has expired for works published through 1930, so the film print is public domain in the US by term expiry.
Music score	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.
Underlying story / screenplay	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.
Character trademarks	Unclear	research_note The 'Oz' name and characters are a longstanding franchise; copyright expiry of this 1914 film does not extinguish any separate trademark rights in Oz branding. Left undetermined pending a marks search.
Restorations / re-releases	Unclear	No primary evidence on file — treated as unverified.

Automatic rule notes

Published 1914: 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)

Internet Archive (full film)

Background

The Patchwork Girl of Oz is a 1914 American silent fantasy film written and produced by L. Frank Baum for his Oz Film Manufacturing Company and directed by J. Farrell MacDonald, adapting Baum's 1913 novel of the same name. Its commercial failure crippled the studio's distribution and hastened the company's collapse. As a 1914 US publication, the film print is public domain by expiry of the 95-year US copyright term; the Oz brand may carry separate trademark rights, so that layer is left undetermined.