Short answer
Yes. F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu premiered in Berlin in 1922, and works first published outside the U.S. before 1931 are in the U.S. public domain. Restorations that add new material, new scores and remakes are separate works with their own copyrights.
Why it’s free
Cornell’s public domain chart puts works first published abroad before 1931 in the U.S. public domain. Nosferatu was made by the German company Prana Film and premiered in Berlin in March 1922. Wikipedia’s article on the film says it entered the public domain worldwide in 2019. (Cornell chart; Wikipedia)
It almost didn’t survive. Bram Stoker’s widow, Florence, sued over the unauthorized adaptation, and in 1925 a German court’s order to destroy the negative and every print took effect. Copies survived anyway. (Our story on the lawsuit; NPR)
Common questions
Is Nosferatu (1922) in the public domain?
Yes, in the United States. It was first published in Germany in 1922, and works first published outside the U.S. before 1931 are in the U.S. public domain.
Can I use any copy of Nosferatu I find?
The 1922 film is free, but a restoration that adds new material, new intertitles or a new score can carry its own copyright in that new material. Check what a copy adds before you use it.
Are the Nosferatu remakes public domain?
No. Later remakes are new works with their own copyrights. Only the 1922 film is free.
Didn’t a court order Nosferatu destroyed?
Yes. Florence Stoker won her lawsuit, and in July 1925 the order to destroy the negative and all prints took effect. Prints had already spread, and the film survived in archives.
Read more
- The Nosferatu lawsuit: how Florence Stoker won
- Is Dracula (1931) public domain?
- The Vampyre: Polidori wrote it, Byron got the credit
- Dracula’s original name was Count Wampyr
- Carmilla (1871), the vampire story before Dracula
- Everything entering the public domain in 2027
General information, not legal advice. U.S. law only; status can depend on publication and renewal facts and differs by country. Talk to a lawyer before commercial use. Last checked November 1, 2026.
Sources
- Cornell University Library, “Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States” (works published outside the U.S. before 1931)
- Wikipedia, “Nosferatu”
- NPR, “Try as she might, Bram Stoker’s widow couldn’t kill ‘Nosferatu’” (2022)
- 17 U.S.C. §103(b) (new material in a derivative work is protected separately)