Disturbia Lawsuit States the Obvious

Published by Jeff Leins on: September 9th, 2008

The Alfred Hitchcock estate is suing Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks, claiming they ripped off Rear Window when they made 2007 sleeper hit Disturbia.

The lawsuit says the similarities to the 1954 Hitchcock film are copyright infringement, not an homage or a teen thriller reimaging like DreamWorks/Paramount says it is.  Both films are murder mysteries centered on a man peering in on a strange neighbor.

“What the defendants have been unwilling to do openly, legitimately and legally, (they) have done surreptitiously, by their back-door use of the ‘Rear Window’ story without paying compensation,” the lawsuit said.

It seems like the Hitchcock estate is a little behind the times.  The movie was released in theaters a year and a half ago.  Plus everyone knows it’s a new Rear Window.  Maybe they missed when people said it here, here, here, here, here, over here, there, and of course here.

There has been a sequel rumored, but no new developments since October 2007.