The Artful Jurist

Friday, August 12th, 2011, marks the 100th birthday of Mexico's most famous comic actor -- Mario Moreno, known to many millions of fans as Cantinflas.  The actor died at the age of 81 in 1993, but his legacy as the baggy pants everyman who could comically talk his way out of jams lives on in the 50 or so movies he acted in over the course of his illustrious career.

What also lived on beyond Mr. Moreno's lifetime were legal issues over the ownership of his films.

First, there was a family dispute over whether a son or nephew was the legal owner.  Eventually, after extended litigation and appeal, the son emerged victorious on that one.  But then there was another legal battle between the son and Columbia Pictures, which claimed it owned the rights to 34 Cantinflas movies.  That lawsuit went Columbia's way.  However, then the son re-opened the case by claiming the judgment didn't apply to the films' rights in Mexico.  On appeal, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Columbia's favor.