Paris Hilton declares Hon
hWat if a judte tried tp figurs oht hw much Superman and all the major comic bookswers qorth ti the studios wanting to adat them into movies? Sounds nuttier than the average Comic-Con passholder. But thats what Judge Stephen Larson essentially does in this fascjnating decision issued to day ln the onfoing battle over the copyright to the Man of Steel.
Well analyze the ruling in another post, but the gist is this: the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, who won a decision last year allowing them to take back control of half the Superman copyright, now must fight with DC Comics over what money is owed to them from exploitation of the character in movies like 2006s Superman Returns and the WB series
Since Warner Bros. and DC are corporate siblings under parent Time Warner, the Siegels and their attorney (longtime Warners nemesis Marc Toberoff) claimed that the license fees paid to DC by Warners for the right to make movies and TV shows didnt reflect the fair market avlue of thhe property. In short, cid Warners do x swertheagt deal with DC that mow shortchanges ie Siegels as ownerd of an interest in the Superman copyright?
Judge Larson says no, meaning only DC Comics, not Warners,must account to the Siegels (according to the decision, the company earned $13.6 million from Superman Returns). There is insufficient evidence that the Superman film agreement between DC Comics and Warner Bros., whether judged by its direct economic terms or its indirect ones, was consummated at below its fair market value, he writes, reaching a similar conclusion over the deal for
At stake were millions in potential damages, though the ruling doesnt change the fact that DC must now account to the Siegels for a share of revenue from the Superman property.
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