2014 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

January 21, 2014: Appeal Hearing Denied in Superman Copyright Battle

Superman Court Case In December, unwilling to accept the 9th Circuit Court's decision on November 21st to grant Warner Bros. complete copyright ownership of Superman, lawyer Marc Toberoff submitted a 43-page petition calling for the case to be reheard. Today that appeal was denied.

    "The panel has voted unanimously to deny the petition for rehearing," said the order issued today. In saying no, the 9th Circuit closed the door on any more requests from the heirs of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster. "The petition for rehearing and the petition for rehearing en banc are DENIED. No further petitions for panel or en banc rehearing will be entertained," said the one-page order. Long story short: That's the end of the road for Toberoff and the heirs.

    The December 10, 2013 2-1 opinion reaffirmed a District Court decision supporting the position of DC Comics and its corporate parent Warner Bros that Mark Warren Peary of Shuster's estate couldn't file a copyright termination notice 11 years ago. WB claimed a 1992 agreement with Shuster's siblings, in which they were to be compensated $25,000 a year for life, already delivered their Superman rights to the company.

From a legal standpoint, this appears to finally be over.

Source: Deadline.com



2014 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News

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