# RightsAtlas Research Packet — Metropolis (1927)

> ⚠️ **NOT legal advice.** This is a primary-source research packet describing **United States** copyright status only. It is not a clearance certificate and not a DMCA counter-notification. Verify independently before any platform dispute.

**Scope:** Tier A — **film-print layer only**. Music, story, trademark, and restorations are NOT cleared by this packet.
**Packet version:** `2026-07-13-c2bade8`  ·  **Generated:** 2026-10-05  ·  **Country:** DE  ·  **Last verified:** 2026-07-13

## ⚠️ Sound recordings (pre-1972)
Sound recordings fixed before **15 Feb 1972** can be protected under state law / the Music Modernization Act until **2067 or later** — the film *print* being public domain does **not** free the music track. Assume the recorded score is a claim risk.

## Film print — Verified public domain
- **term_expiry:** Published 1927; the 95-year US term expired and Metropolis entered the US public domain on January 1, 2023 (its earlier URAA restoration ended on the same expiry schedule). — [Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain — Public Domain Day 2023](https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2023/)
- **uraa_analysis:** Metropolis is the textbook URAA film: its lapsed US copyright was RESTORED in 1996 by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (17 U.S.C. §104A) — the restoration fight reached the Supreme Court in Golan v. Holder — but even a restored term is capped at 95 years from publication, so it still expired at the end of 2022. — [17 U.S.C. §104A; Golan v. Holder, 565 U.S. 302 (2012)](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/104A)
- **research_note:** OUTSIDE THE US the answer flips: under German law (§65 UrhG) a film's term runs 70 years after the death of the last-surviving of the director, screenwriter, dialogue author and composer. Fritz Lang died in 1976 — Metropolis remains protected in Germany and most of the EU until January 1, 2047. — [§65 UrhG (German Copyright Act)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/urhg/__65.html)

> Published 1927: 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.

## Other layers — NOT cleared by this packet

| Layer | Status | Evidence on file |
|---|---|---|
| Music score | Partially protected | 1 item(s) |
| Underlying story / screenplay | Verified public domain | 1 item(s) |
| Character trademarks | Likely public domain | 1 item(s) |
| Restorations / re-releases | Not public domain | 1 item(s) |

## What this means
- **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.

## Archival copies
- [Internet Archive — classic cut, English intertitles (community upload; verify print provenance before commercial reuse)](https://archive.org/details/metropolis-1927-english-titles) · SD/HD varies

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_Valid as of 2026-10-05. Copyright status can change — check the live dossier before relying on this in a dispute:_ https://bitgitty.github.io/rightsatlas/film/metropolis-1927/