The State - News from Dec. 28, 1988

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has ruled that the continued showing of the Alfred Hitchcock classic “Rear Window” by MCA Inc. may violate the copyright for the 1942 story on which the film was based. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the re-release of the 1954 thriller, starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly, without the consent of Sheldon Abend, the literary agent who bought the rights to the story in 1972, violates Abend’s renewal copyrights. The decision provides not only for possible damages and percentage of profits to Abend but also a 10% share for Columbia University, the beneficiary of a scholarship fund set up by the author, the late Cornell Woolrich. The re-release for theaters, cable TV and videocassette rentals has generated more than $12 million, according to the court. In its 2-1 decision, the judges ordered MCA to return to court to justify its use of “Rear Window” without Abend’s consent.