Buchwald, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, filed a $5 million suit against Paramount a year ago, claiming the studio breached a 1983 contract to purchase his script idea.
A second accounting phase of the trial will examine profits on ″Coming to America″ and determine the plaintiffs’ share.
″The court concludes that ‘Coming to America’ is a movie that was based upon Buchwald’s treatment ’King for a Day,‴ Schneider said in a 34-page written ruling.
Buchwald called the decision a victory for writers everywhere.
″I am very, very happy. This thing is not only an important thing for me. I think it’s really important for writers,″ he said in a telephone interview from Washington.