Just peeking out from the doom of my own making to reveal this:
A federal judge here on Wednesday ruled that the heirs of Jerome Siegel — who 70 years ago sold the rights to the action hero he created with Joseph Shuster to Detective Comics for $130 — were entitled to claim a share of the United States copyright to the character. The ruling left intact Time Warner’s international rights to the character, which it has long owned through its DC Comics unit.
[…]
If the ruling survives a Time Warner legal challenge, it may also open the door to a similar reversion of rights to the estate of Mr. Shuster in 2013. That would give heirs of the two creators control over use of their lucrative character until at least 2033 — and perhaps longer, if Congress once again extends copyright terms — according to Marc Toberoff, a lawyer who represents the Siegels and the Shuster estate.
—New York Times “Ruling Gives Heirs a Share of Superman Copyright”
What exactly does this have to do with the cost of Bud Light in Arab, AL? I’ll tell you what others, indirectly, told me(and the world, really).
Better yet. Have their words. I’m too tired and it’s way too damn early for processing information.
In brief, a share in the copyright to Superman that should have returned to the creators, under laws that helped creators of art and music who had been ripped off when younger to regain a portion of the rights to their song or creation, has been deemed by a judge to have been returned to the heirs of Jerry Siegel, with Time Warner and DC Comics kicking and screaming all the way. (On the one hand, I can hardly blame them. On the other, the law was obviously the law, the conclusion was pretty much inevitable — although I’m sure it’s been an enormous relief to the family — and I suspect the main purpose of the court case has been to put off the moment of reckoning as long as possible; not the moment of financial reckoning, because that clock started ticking in 1999, but the moment that the heirs to Superman could license Superman to entities other than DC Comics, which, as co-copyright holders, they are entitled to do. Marvel Comics publishing their own Superman comic, anyone?)
Neil Gaiman’s Journal
Also:
Even with the limitations noted in the supporting article, this is fucking immense…
— Warren Ellis
In case you still don’t get it:
hey comics internet: this is really important.
— Matt Fraction
Plus: http://uncivilsociety.org/2008/03/the-siegel-superman-decision.html
The actual 86 page court opinion in PDF form.
Crazy, beautiful times we live in, yes?
More down-to-earth translation of the Superman ruling by JTraub on the Freakangels forum.
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