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St. Petersburg Times (25/Apr/1990) - Court rules against owners of Hitchcock film

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Court rules against owners of Hitchcock film

The 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 decision is a victory for Sheldon Abend, a literary agent who paid $650 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.

Stewart, Hitchcock's heirs and MCA Artists Ltd., the owners of Rear Window, asked that Abend be prevented from sharing in those profits.

But Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, writing for the court, said Abend is protected by federal law.

"At heart, (the distributors') true complaint is that they will have to pay more for the use of works they have employed in creating their own works," O'Connor said. "But such a result was contemplated by Congress and is consistent with the goals of the Copyright Act."

The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision sent the case back to a lower court for further action, including how much money Abend should receive.

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