Judge Rules Warner Bros. Holds Superman Rights

In a long-awaited ruling, a federal judge awarded Warner Bros. the rights to the Superman franchise, as The Hollywood Reporter, points out, which effectively ended a decade-long lawsuit battle.

Heirs of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel were attempting to overturn a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling made in January that granted Warner Bros. the rights to Superman.

According to an earlier report, the Siegels, represented by Marc Toberoff, said they deserved to hold some copyrights attached to Superman including his costume and the Clark Kent identity.

The Siegels reached an agreement with Warner Bros.’ subsidiary DC Entertainment in 2001 where they concurred to DC’s terms on the matter. According to the report, Judge Otis Wright ruled Wednesday that the agreement stands and is enforceable.

This means DC Comics can release its upcoming Man of Steel without fear of legal retaliation from Siegel’s heirs.

The ruling doesn’t mean things are permanently settled, however. Judge Wright included that he would confirm whether the agreement would remain enforceable, implying Siegel’s camp could challenge its enforceability at any time.

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