The story goes that, when people like Jack Kirby and Bob Kane and Joe Shuster were creating masked adventurers in the 1930s, none of them imagined that characters like Superman and Batman would bring in major paydays. Now, 70 some-odd years later, it's up to their heirs to try and get what's theirs, as movie studios make billions off characters created by some impoverished artists during the Depression.
The family of one of those artists, Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel, initiated a lawsuit against Warner Bros., claiming they were entitled to more of the profit from 2006's Superman Returns. Now, Variety reports that the judge has ruled against them, meaning it's only DC Comics who could possibly owe them any money.
The details of the case aren't actually that interesting-- no corporate intrigue here, just a suggestion that Warner Bros bought the Superman rights in 1999 for below market value. But the fight isn't over for the Siegel family, which will return to court in December to figure out how much of the profits DC owes them.
It's strange that characters that feel so iconic, that have been reimagined and adapted in so many different ways, still bear copyrights from their creators. Presumably a time will come when Superman, Batman and company pass into the public domain, and oh, what a plethora of terrible movies we'll be seeing then. In the meantime we should feel glad there are heirs out there fighting the good fight-- even if it doesn't save us from movies like Spider-Man 3.
