Earlier this year I questioned whether Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Comics would have any effect on the long-running battle between Marvel and the heirs of Jack Kirby over the ownership rights to his creations (which are legion). To date, the answer appears to be “No.” The production of the new Captain America film continues apace, [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Marvel'
Who Owns Captain America?
March 17th, 2010 · Comments Off · Copyright, Popular
In January, Marvel Comics filed a lawsuit in federal court in New York seeking a declaration that all of Jack Kirby’s creations belong to Marvel under the “work -for-hire” doctrine. This month, the Kirby kids have retaliated by filing suit against Marvel and Disney in federal court in Los Angeles seeking a declaration that the [...]
Disney Gets Marvel, But Who Gets the Characters?
February 6th, 2010 · Comments Off · Copyright
When Disney announced that it was buying Marvel for $4 billion last fall, the hype failed to mention that Jack Kirby‘s kids were seeking to recover ownership rights to some of the most popular titles in recent times — including such luminaries as X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Spider Man, the Avengers, and the Incredible Hulk. [...]
Tags:Avatar·comics·Disney·Fantastic Four·hero·Hulk·Jack Kirby·Marvel·Spider-Man·superhero·Thor·X-Men
I am a commercial litigator and intellectual property lawyer in San Francisco. Although my practice encompasses a wide variety of business disputes, I have a particular fondness for, and am prone to wax philosophical on, the subjects of copyright and trademark infringement in music, literature, art, and film.
