While working on identifying and counting movies that can be legally shared on the Internet, I also looked at the Norwegian movies listed in IMDb. So far I have identified 54 candidates published before 1940 that might no longer be protected by norwegian copyright law. Of these, only 29 are available at least in part from the Norwegian National Library. It can be assumed that the remaining 25 movies are lost. It seem most useful to identify the copyright status of movies that are not lost. To verify that the movie is really no longer protected, one need to verify the list of copyright holders and figure out if and when they died. I've been able to identify some of them, but for some it is hard to figure out when they died.
This is the list of 29 movies both available from the library and possibly no longer protected by copyright law. The year range (1909-1979 on the first line) is year of publication and last year with copyright protection.1909-1979 ( 70 year) NSB Bergensbanen 1909 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347601/ 1910-1980 ( 70 year) Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons likfærd - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt9299304/ 1910-1980 ( 70 year) Bjørnstjerne Bjørnsons begravelse - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt9299300/ 1912-1998 ( 86 year) Roald Amundsens Sydpolsferd (1910-1912) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt9237500/ 1913-2006 ( 93 year) Roald Amundsen på sydpolen - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347886/ 1917-1987 ( 70 year) Fanden i nøtten - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346964/ 1919-2018 ( 99 year) Historien om en gut - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010259/ 1920-1990 ( 70 year) Kaksen på Øverland - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0011361/ 1923-1993 ( 70 year) Norge - en skildring i 6 akter - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014319/ 1925-1997 ( 72 year) Roald Amundsen - Ellsworths flyveekspedition 1925 - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016295/ 1925-1995 ( 70 year) En verdensreise, eller Da knold og tott vaskede negrene hvite med 13 sæpen - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018948/ 1926-1996 ( 70 year) Luftskibet 'Norge's flugt over polhavet - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017090/ 1926-1996 ( 70 year) Med 'Maud' over Polhavet - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017129/ 1927-1997 ( 70 year) Den store sultan - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017997/ 1928-1998 ( 70 year) Noahs ark - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018917/ 1928-1998 ( 70 year) Skjæbnen - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1002652/ 1928-1998 ( 70 year) Chefens cigarett - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019896/ 1929-1999 ( 70 year) Se Norge - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020378/ 1929-1999 ( 70 year) Fra Chr. Michelsen til Kronprins Olav og Prinsesse Martha - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0019899/ 1930-2000 ( 70 year) Mot ukjent land - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021158/ 1930-2000 ( 70 year) Det er natt - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017904/ 1930-2000 ( 70 year) Over Besseggen på motorcykel - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347721/ 1931-2001 ( 70 year) Glimt fra New York og den Norske koloni - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021913/ 1932-2007 ( 75 year) En glad gutt - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022946/ 1934-2004 ( 70 year) Den lystige radio-trio - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1002628/ 1935-2005 ( 70 year) Kronprinsparets reise i Nord Norge - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268411/ 1935-2005 ( 70 year) Stormangrep - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017998/ 1936-2006 ( 70 year) En fargesymfoni i blått - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1002762/ 1939-2009 ( 70 year) Til Vesterheimen - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032036/To be sure which one of these can be legally shared on the Internet, in addition to verifying the right holders list is complete, one need to verify the death year of these persons:
Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (dead 1910) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0085085/ Gustav Adolf Olsen (missing death year) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0647652/ Gustav Lund (missing death year) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0526168/ John W. Brunius (dead 1937) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0116307/ Ola Cornelius (missing death year) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1227236/ Oskar Omdal (dead 1927) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3116241/ Paul Berge (missing death year) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0074006/ Peter Lykke-Seest (dead 1948) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0528064/ Roald Amundsen (dead 1928) - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0025468/ Sverre Halvorsen (dead 1936) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1299757/ Thomas W. Schwartz (missing death year) - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2616250/
Perhaps you can help me figuring death year of those missing it, or right holders if some are missing in IMDb? It would be nice to have a definite list of Norwegian movies that are legal to share on the Internet.
This is the list of 25 movies not available from the library and possibly no longer protected by copyright law:1907-2009 (102 year) Fiskerlivets farer - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121288/ 1912-2018 (106 year) Historien omen moder - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382852/ 1912-2002 ( 90 year) Anny - en gatepiges roman - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0002026/ 1916-1986 ( 70 year) The Mother Who Paid - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3619226/ 1917-2018 (101 year) En vinternat - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0008740/ 1917-2018 (101 year) Unge hjerter - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0008719/ 1917-2018 (101 year) De forældreløse - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0007972/ 1918-2018 (100 year) Vor tids helte - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0009769/ 1918-2018 (100 year) Lodsens datter - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0009314/ 1919-2018 ( 99 year) Æresgjesten - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0010939/ 1921-2006 ( 85 year) Det nye year? - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347686/ 1921-1991 ( 70 year) Under Polarkredsens himmel - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012789/ 1923-1993 ( 70 year) Nordenfor polarcirkelen - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0014318/ 1925-1995 ( 70 year) Med 'Stavangerfjord' til Nordkap - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016098/ 1926-1996 ( 70 year) Over Atlanterhavet og gjennem Amerika - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017241/ 1926-1996 ( 70 year) Hallo! Amerika! - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016945/ 1926-1996 ( 70 year) Tigeren Teodors triumf - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1008052/ 1927-1997 ( 70 year) Rød sultan - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017979/ 1927-1997 ( 70 year) Søndagsfiskeren Flag - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018002/ 1930-2000 ( 70 year) Ro-ro til fiskeskjær - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017973/ 1933-2003 ( 70 year) I kongens klær - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024164/ 1934-2004 ( 70 year) Eventyret om de tre bukkene bruse - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1007963/ 1934-2004 ( 70 year) Pål sine høner - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1017966/ 1937-2007 ( 70 year) Et mesterverk - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019937/ 1938-2008 ( 70 year) En Harmony - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1007975/
Several of these movies completely lack right holder information in IMDb and elsewhere. Without access to a copy of the movie, it is often impossible to get the list of people involved in making the movie, making it impossible to figure out the correct copyright status.
Not listed here are the movies still protected by copyright law. Their copyright terms varies from 79 to 144 years, according to the information I have available so far. One of the non-lost movies might change status next year, Mustads Mono from 1920. The next one might be Hvor isbjørnen ferdes from 1935 in 2024.
As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address 15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b.