# RightsAtlas Research Packet — The Haunted Castle (1921)

> ⚠️ **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:** `2026-09-28-c2bade8`  ·  **Generated:** 2026-10-05  ·  **Country:** DE  ·  **Last verified:** 2026-09-28

## ⚠️ 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 April 7, 1921. Applying the 95-year maximum US copyright term (28-year initial + maximum renewal, extended by the Sonny Bono Act), the copyright expired January 1, 2017. Wikimedia Commons explicitly documents the PD basis as 'published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1931'. — [Wikimedia Commons — File:The Haunted Castle (1921) by F. W. Murnau.webm](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Haunted_Castle_(1921)_by_F._W._Murnau.webm)
- **uraa_analysis:** German production (Uco-Film / Decla-Bioscop, Weimar Republic). Director F.W. Murnau died 1931; German copyright (life+70) ran until 2001, meaning the work was still under German copyright on January 1, 1996 (the URAA eligibility date). Any URAA restoration of the US copyright would have set the term at 95 years from publication (1921 + 95 = 2016), so even under maximum URAA restoration that term expired January 1, 2017. As of September 2026 the print is unambiguously in the US public domain. — [Wikimedia Commons — File:The Haunted Castle (1921) by F. W. Murnau.webm (PD-1996 + life+70 analysis)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Haunted_Castle_(1921)_by_F._W._Murnau.webm)

> Published 1921: 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 | Undetermined | 0 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
- [The Haunted Castle (1921, F.W. Murnau) — Internet Archive, uploaded by Archive staff (jake@archive.org), silent print, 81 min](https://archive.org/details/silent-the-haunted-castle) · medium

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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/the-haunted-castle-1921/