A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that 20th Century Fox owns the distribution rights to "Watchmen," representing a setback for Warner Bros.' plans to release the pic in March.
"Fox owns a copyright interest consisting of, at the very least, the right to distribute the 'Watchmen' motion picture," the ruling said.
Judge Gary Allen Feess issued the surprise ruling Wednesday -- a week after setting a Jan. 20 trial date for Fox's suit -- and indicated he would issue a more detailed ruling soon. Warner spokesman Scott Rowe declined to comment.
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