In ten different nations, a judge has dismissed a case contesting Warner Bros.’ ownership rights to “Superman,” deciding that U.S. courts do not have the authority to handle this particular disagreement.
In January, Mark Peary, the nephew of the late co-creator of Superman, Joe Shuster, filed a lawsuit against the studio and its DC Comics affiliate, claiming that Shuster’s estate had the power to terminate the copyright for Superman in countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and others.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman determined that the court does not have jurisdiction to handle disputes regarding an estate’s rights based on foreign legal systems.
In a nutshell, Judge Furman determined that the court does not have the authority to handle this specific case, thus the case has been and will be dismissed.
Unphased, Peary filed a very similar lawsuit on Friday morning in New York’s state court. This new case aims to secure an order (an injunction) that, hypothetically, could disrupt the scheduled release of “Superman” on July 11. This is the reboot of the franchise helmed by James Gunn and featuring David Corenswet in the lead role.
Earlier, Peary’s legal representative, Marc Toberoff, made an attempt to obtain a federal court order preventing the movie from being shown in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Ireland, unless the Shuster estate received payment as compensation.
In throwing out the federal lawsuit, Furman also denied the injunction as moot.
The copyright for “Superman” has been a matter of long-standing legal disputes since its creation by Shuster and Siegel in 1938, when they sold it for $130. In the year 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed claims made by the Shuster estate, ruling that Shuster’s sister had relinquished all rights following Shuster’s death in 1992 through a signed agreement.
Toberoff contended that the ruling of the 9th Circuit court provided clarity on U.S. copyright law, however, it failed to address the overseas rights of the estate. He further asserted that as per British law, the estate had the legal right to terminate the copyright in 2017, which marked 25 years after Shuster’s demise.
In response to Toberoff’s claim, it was asserted by Warner Bros.’ lawyers that the Berne Convention, being an international copyright agreement, cannot be enforced within U.S. federal courts.
Toberoff has chosen not to initiate copyright lawsuits in the UK or other regions, as doing so could involve several complications and hassles.
In simpler terms, the lawyers from the studio have stated that the legal disputes surrounding Superman’s copyright have been thoroughly addressed and settled. By the year 2034, this character will become part of the public domain.
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2025-04-25 21:49