Thursday, October 18, 2012

WB WIns Superman Rights Case

Warner Bros. has achieved a major victory in the high-profile court battle over the Superman copyright THR Esq.


On Wednesday, federal U.S. District Court Judge Otis Wright II granted the studio's motion for summary judgment on the question of whether a 1992 agreement with Jean Peavy, the sister of Supes co-creator Joe Shuster, precludes the estate's attempt to terminate a copyright grant.

Wright ruled "that the 1992 Agreement, which represented the Shuster heirs’ opportunity to renegotiate the prior grants of Joe Shuster’s copyrights, superseded and replaced all prior grants of the Superman copyrights. The 1992 Agreement thus represents the parties’ operative agreement and, as a post-1978 grant, it is not subject to termination."

The result this week however means Warners can exploit Superman however it likes in the near future, including Zack Snyder's big budget reboot Superman: Man of Steel--due next June.

Despite the suits victory, the parties will most likely to be in court for many years to come.

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