Who has the copyright on the Three Stooges? Columbia Pictures, C3 Entertainment, both?

Question

I know that C3 Entertainment (originally Comedy III Productions) controls "television and motion picture production, retail sales and the licensing and merchandising of The Three Stooges® brand" (quoted from their website), but do they also have the rights to all their films? Or does Columbia still have that?

Answer 1

That depends on whether or not the movies have become public domain yet. Columbia paid an astronomical sum to the Stooges for a lifetime contract; the studio will do everything they can to keep the revenue coming in. Their movie shorts are most likely still copyrighted; but the TV shows and cartoon versions of the Three Stooges are more likely public domain.