Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
The Firm
201-896-4100 info@sh-law.comFirm Insights
Warner Bros. Wins Superman Copyright Lawsuit
Author: Scarinci Hollenbeck, LLC
Date: January 23, 2013
Key Contacts
Back
Winner in Copyright Lawsuit
Warner Bros. emerged as the winner in a copyright lawsuit that has been going on for years regarding copyrights the Superman franchise.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overruled a 2008 lower court decision, which gave Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel’s estate the go-ahead to recapture rights to the Superman saga. The battle between Warner Bros. and the estates of the character’s creators, Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster has been ongoing. In the 1930s, the creators sold their rights to the character for less than it was worth in the early days. However, the estates sued to recapture the rights to the franchise after the 1976 included a provision allows artists who sold their rights under unfair bargaining to reclaim their copyrights.
Under this law, both creators’ estates won a lawsuit in 2008 that would require Warner Bros. to share profits from franchise products. On appeal, however, Warner Bros. was able to produce a negotiated agreement between the company and Siegel’s widow that was agreed upon in 2001, in which Warner Bros. would provide fair compensation for the rights her husband had sold. A similar agreement was mapped out with Shuster’s estate in 1992.
The court determined that these agreements were not effectively taken into consideration during the 2008 trial, and granted Warner Bros. full rights to the Superman franchise. The ruling comes just before the release of “Man of Steel” in June 2013.
“This is a great day for Superman, for his fans, for DC Entertainment and for Warner Bros.,” said a representative for Warner Bros. “Today’s ruling vindicates DC Comics’ long-held position that it entered into a binding agreement with the Jerry Siegel family in 2001. The Court’s decision paves the way for the Siegels to finally to receive the compensation they negotiated for and which DC has been prepared to pay for over a decade. We are extremely pleased that Superman’s adventures can continue to be enjoyed across all media platforms worldwide for generations to come.”
Despite the victory on appeal, matters relating to copyright and entertainment law can be complex, and it remains possible that the estates may choose to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
- Industries: Entertainment & Media
No Aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court. Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Related Posts
See all
A Simple Guide to Industry Roll-Up Acquisitions
When done successfully, industry roll-up acquisitions can dramatically grow and strengthen your business. In this post, we break down what an industry roll-up is, why companies pursue it, and what makes it an effective (and sometimes risky) business strategy. What Is an Industry Roll-Up Acquisition? In an industry roll-up acquisition of companies, a buyer acquires multiple companies […]
Author: Dan Brecher
Genesis Mission: How the U.S. Government’s New AI Platform Will Reshape Corporate Innovation, Risk, and Competition
The federal government has launched one of the most ambitious scientific initiatives in decades, and it will redefine how companies develop technology, manage risk, and compete. The Genesis Mission, created by Executive Order and driven by the Department of Energy (“DOE”), is intended to accelerate scientific discovery through a national AI platform that links supercomputers, […]
Author: Michael J. Sheppeard
Stablecoins and the GENIUS Act: How New Global Rules Are Reshaping Compliance
Stablecoins Leave the Grey Zone Stablecoins were supposed to be the “boring” part of crypto: digital dollars that just work. Yet for years they have lived in a regulatory no-man’s-land, classified one day as securities, the next as commodities, and sometimes as something regulators had not even named yet. That uncertainty is finally starting to […]
Author: Bryce S. Robins
Don’t Overlook the Importance of Business License Management
If you operate a business without the proper license, you risk fines, insurance issues, reputational harm, and even business closure. Even innocent mistakes, like forgetting to renew a license, can have significant consequences, such as losing your lawsuit for payment of services that are unlicensed, which makes it imperative to have business license management procedures […]
Author: Dan Brecher
Failing to Comply With NJ Rent Control Exemption May Prove Costly
What Developers Need to Know About New Jersey’s Rent Control Exemption Law to Ensure Entitlement to Exemption for Newly Constructed Multi-family Housing. A property owner in Jersey City is facing a $400 million federal class action lawsuit alleging that the landlord did not follow the procedural steps required to be eligible for exemption from local […]
Author: Patrick T. Conlon
Crypto Securities Law: When Tokens Become Investment Contracts
The application of traditional federal securities laws to crypto assets continues to evolve. In some cases, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) considers tokens and other digital assets to be securities. This makes them subject to federal securities law, including the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This classification has […]
Author: Bryce S. Robins
No Aspect of the advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court. Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.
Sign up to get the latest from our attorneys!
Explore What Matters Most to You.
Consider subscribing to our Firm Insights mailing list by clicking the button below so you can keep up to date with the firm`s latest articles covering various legal topics.
Stay informed and inspired with the latest updates, insights, and events from Scarinci Hollenbeck. Our resource library provides valuable content across a range of categories to keep you connected and ahead of the curve.