According to a recent AP article, the copyright holders of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (namely, the estate of Sheldon Abend) have filed a lawsuit against Steven Spielberg and co. for alleged plagiarism in producing Disturbia.

Call me crazy, but what are they thinking?

First, it’s impossible, according to U.S. law, to copyright an idea per se; this isn’t a “gray” area, it’s a black and white. The only exceptions would be instances like one experienced by Art Buchwald, when he delivered a concept to Paramount that they passed on and then turned around and made into Coming to America. But Buchwald actually had a physical treatment in hand that he had submitted - one that had actually been optioned by Paramount in the early ’80s.

If we’re talking about forbidding similar concepts for movies without issuing due credit, 90% of Hollywood could be sued inside out. (Just think about the late ’80s, for example, and how many “age swapping” films were produced during that period, back to back). And if a court precedent suddenly makes it illegal to loosely model one’s narrative after Alfred Hitchcock in script form, just imagine the implications for Brian DePalma - a life sentence.

To me, this looks like yet another instance of people desperately clamoring for damages with very specious legal claims.