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US 'Superman' copyright to be shared |
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Written by Felix Da Silva (fdasilva@bitnip.com)
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Tuesday, 01 April 2008 |
 The U.S. copyright for the "Superman" will no
longer be the sole property of Time Warner thanks to a federal judge's ruling
last week.
According to the NY Times, U.S. District Judge Stephen G. Larson ruled in Los Angeles that the copyright
for the renowned superhero should be shared with the heirs of "Superman"
co-creator Jerome Siegel.
Siegel initially created "Superman" with Joseph Schuster and the pair sold the
rights to their fictional creation to Detective Comics 70 years ago for
$130.
Last Wednesday's ruling also opened the door for similar legal
action from Schuster's heirs, which could potentially mean the "Superman"
trademark could be under shared control until at least 2033, according to Marc Toberoff, a lawyer who represents the Siegels and the Shuster
estate.
Mr. Toberoff said,
It would be very powerful. After 2013, Time Warner couldn’t exploit any new Superman-derived works without
a license from the Siegels and Shusters.
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