There's a contribution adding this company to the Kino release of 1983's The Man Who Wasn't There 3-D. I know they're not a Distributor, but are they a Publisher or Licensor?

The fine print at the bottom of the back cover displayed:

DISTRIBUTED AND MARKETED BY KINO LORBER INC. UNDER EXCLUSIVE LICENSE FROM PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT INC. PACKAGE DESIGN © 2023 PARAMOUNT PICTURES.

Media companies: Paramount Pictures (publisher), Paramount Home Entertainment (licensor) and Kino Lorber (distributor).

I inferred that Kino Lorber commissioned the 3D/2D restoration (by 3-D Film Archive) for the release.

"3-D Film Archive LLC" may act as a media company when it owns the film (such as, The Stewardesses, 3-D Rarities).

Hope that helped.

Quoting scotthm:

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I believe they do film preservation, but I don't think they're a licensor or publisher. You can read a bit about their work here.
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Agree. 3-D Film Archive focuses on film preservation of 3-D films and partners with other publishers to release those restorations on media.

Quoting ObiKen:

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This is my understanding:

• Kino Lorber Studio Classics (aka KL Studio Classics) is not a valid company name, it is a physical media label used by Kino Lorber, which focusses on Hollywood classics. Refer "Our Story" section (2nd and 4th paragraphs): https://kinolorber.com/about

KLSC is similar to The Criterion Collection's Eclipse label except they focus on the most popular hollywood classics for home video.

Quoting ObiKen:

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• DVD package design (which includes graphic design) is a publishing function, as it covers package construction, artwork, typography. Even "The Criterion Collection" has on their back covers a "package copyright author (media release year)", confirming their publisher role. Kino Lorber made no such claim on the packaging.

The studios aren't publishing these titles though they retain the copyrights to any artwork created. Even if a label pays for a 4K restoration, the copyright holder maintains the rights to that new work. However, KLSC is the one that is publishing this new media, not the studio. KL is the one assemblying, paying for, and putting together this release and therefore publishing this specific release.

Some labels don't include a statement such as "under exclusive license from..." or "licensed from..." but that doesn't mean there is no licensor.

Quoting ObiKen:

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• The "Paramount Pictures" logo was on the back cover.

The Paramount Pictures logo is on the back cover because they are the studio and copyright holder of the film. It's quite common to include the logos of the studios and production companies on the back artwork regardless as to who is publishing the media. In this case Paramount Pictures is both the production company and the theatrical release studio.

Quoting ObiKen:

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• The restored 3D/2D film was not a derivative work of the original film, so Kino Lorber (or 3-D Film Archive) cannot claim ownership (copyright) of the restoration work, but is licensed to distribute the restoration work.

Agree. KL is the distributor of this media release.