Edmonton Journal (26/Apr/1990) - Hitchcock film owners can't keep all earnings

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• article: Hitchcock film owners can't keep all earnings
• newspaper: Edmonton Journal (26/Apr/1990)
• keywords: Alfred Hitchcock, James Stewart, Rear Window (1954)

Article

Hitchcock film owners can't keep all earnings

The U.S. Supreme Court added a new twist to an Alfred Hitchcock thriller Tuesday, saying actor Jimmy Stewart and other owners of Rear Window can't keep all earnings from the re-release of the 1954 movie.

The motion-picture industry said the 6-3 ruling could cost producers millions of dollars in profits and reduce the financial incentive for making hundreds of film classics available.

The ruling also could affect the recording industry, live theatre and computer softwear, said Stephen Kroft, a lawyer for major film companies.

"It's very unfortunate. It's got potentially very broad ramifications."

The decision is a victory for Sheldon Abend, a literary agent who paid $650 US to Chase Manhattan Bank in 1971 for the copyright to the short story on which Rear Window was based.

Abend said the movie's 1983 re-release infringed on the copyright he bought and the owners interfered with his plans to contract with Home Box Office cable TV for a new play and TV version of the story. He said he wants a portion of the more than $12 million the film has earned since 1983.