Wim Wenders is understood to have successfully taken back control of the copyright to his own back catalogue of some 20 films, such as The American Friend and Paris, Texas.

Earlier this year, it looked as if Wenders may lose the copyrights to the films, after Das Werk - parent company of his old production outfit Road Movies - went bankrupt. (Screen Daily, March 3)

Das Werk's invsolvency administrator Holger Lessing auctioned off the films to raise money for the company's creditors. Two other bidders are also understood to have submitted bids.

Meanwhile, Uli Felsberg, who was Wenders' producer and managing shareholder of the Road Movies group from 1986, told Screen Daily that his Berlin-based company EMC had acquired the copyrights to another 20 Road Movies films that he produced during his time at the company.

These include Bend It Like Beckham, the co-productions with Ken Loach (ranging from Land & Freedom through Bread & Roses to The Navigators and Sweet Sixteen) and Road Movies' co-productions with Spain such as Airbag and Waiting List.

Felsberg said that it would depend on the price demanded by Das Werk's insolvency administrator whether he would also acquire remaining copyright in Road Movies' catalogue such as Sandra Goldbacher's Me Without You.