If you ever wondered how Jerry Siegel’s 1970s lawsuit against National Periodical Publications would have turned out if it had been decided today, this week’s Second Circuit ruling in the Gary Friedrich case has your answer.
The Legal View: Siegel Court Issues Final Judgments
04/25/2013 by 12 Comments
Tweet The Superman and Superboy lawsuits are officially over, pending appeal.
Siegel Superman case ends (almost)
03/22/2013 by 13 Comments
TweetAs expected, the district court has ruled that the 2001 settlement agreement between DC and the Siegels is binding and did indeed transfer the Superman copyright to DC. But what about Superboy?
Siegel Heirs Reject 21 Million Dollars
03/05/2013 by 21 Comments
TweetIn keeping with the court’s schedule, yesterday Marc Toberoff filed his response to DC’s summary judgment motion in the Superman/Superboy lawsuits. Toberoff has filed these same arguments before, but the accompanying exhibits do include something new: correspondence in which Laura Siegel Larson and the Siegel estates reject a 21 million dollar payment from DC.
DC moves to end Superman, Superboy lawsuits
02/08/2013 by 5 Comments
Tweet Yesterday’s summary judgment filings confirm that settlement talks have been ongoing–and the Siegel side is in disarray.
Siegel and Shuster attorney to court: It’s over
02/07/2013 by 20 Comments
Tweet News reports are circulating that the Siegel and Shuster heirs have asked the lower court to dismiss DC’s copyright lawsuits. What actually happened is rather different.
The Eyes of Joanne Siegel
01/25/2013 by 29 Comments
In 2008, the Siegel family won a historic courtroom victory. So why did they risk it all on an appeal? An encounter between Jerry Siegel’s widow, Joanne, and Super Boys author Brad Ricca provides a telling clue.
Do comic company lawyers kill creative freedom?
01/20/2013 by 19 Comments
TweetAmong the many thoughtful questions raised in my discussion with the Superman Homepage earlier this week was whether the Siegel lawsuit prompted changes to Superman’s uniform. This might seem like a small issue, but it reflects serious concerns about freedom and integrity in a corporate context.
Today’s Superman Rulings Explained
01/10/2013 by 52 Comments
Tweet After a surprising victory in 2008, Siegel attorney Marc Toberoff decided to press for the rights to more Superman material. Instead, he lost everything that the Siegel heirs and he himself had won.
Today’s (Partial) Smallville Settlement and the Kardashians
01/03/2013 by 5 Comments
TweetGiven the lively discussion of what folks don’t want to see on The Beat, I couldn’t resist noting that an attorney representing Smallville co-creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough in their dispute with Time Warner also represented the Kardashian sisters in the epic, never to be forgotten Kardashian Kard case. However, the Smallville dispute is also [...]
Has Toberoff already won the Siegel case?
12/31/2012 by 16 Comments
Over the past year creators’ copyright crusader Marc Toberoff took some serious hits in the various Superman and Kirby lawsuits. Yet there was also a deceptively routine procedural matter that could have already assured him a victory in the Siegel estate’s Superman appeal.
The Legal View: Did Marc Toberoff actually win in today’s Superman case ruling?
12/13/2012 by 5 Comments
You might hear today that the district court judge has handed Toberoff another stunning defeat this week, “a doozy and an outright win for DC.“
It’s actually a win for Toberoff, at least procedurally.
Here’s what happened.
The Legal View: Ticket crashes and the Tardis
08/20/2012 by 3 Comments
Ticketfails have become as much a part of fandom as slashfic and cosplay. While PR flubs and angry complaints get a fair bit of attention, the crash of ticket sales for last week’s promotion of a Doctor Who premiere in New York also illustrates the potential for legal problems.
A few thoughts on the legal dimension of online event ticketing — and why it matters — after the jump.
The Legal View: Legal maneuvering on both sides as judge cancels Superman hearing
08/16/2012 by Leave a Comment
[On Monday, US District judge Otis Wright cancelled a hearing on the case of the Joe Shuster estate's claim for his half of the copyright to Superman. This led many observers to think a decision was near. The Beat's legal expert, Jeff Trexler explains it's just not that simple.]
The Legal View: Historic Documents in the Siegel & Shuster Lawsuits
07/23/2012 by 3 Comments
By Jeff Trexler
— Whatever the merits of the latest summary judgment motion in the dispute over the Superman copyright, its supporting exhibits bring together a number of important documents in two accessible filings.
The Legal View: Wertham was right
TweetTonight in SoHo, a panel of comics all-stars will discuss the Carol Tilley’s Seducing the Innocent, which purports to expose industry bete noire Fredric Wertham as a fraud. What’s more important for us today, however, is understanding why he was right.