LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has ruled in favour of the organisation that hands out the Academy Awards in a dispute over whether statuettes won by one of its founding members can be sold.

The panel in Los Angeles sided with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences on Monday, saying three women who own Oscars won by silent film star Mary Pickford are bound to an agreement barring their sale.

The ruling paves the way for a judge to take the verdict a step further during a hearing next week and block the sale of the statuettes, which is what the academy wants.

Pickford was part of early Hollywood's royalty. Along with other actors, she helped found United Artists and was one of the academy's 36 original members.

To try to prevent the sale of Pickford's awards, the academy last year sued the heirs of Beverly Rogers, who married Pickford's third husband, Buddy Rogers, after the silent film star's death in 1979.

Her estate included three Oscar statuettes — two given to Pickford and an honourary award given to Buddy Rogers.

Attorneys for Beverly Rogers' heirs said after the verdict that they were "extremely disappointed" but hope the judge will ignore the verdict and allow the sale of one of the awards.