Kirby Kids sue Marvel for Copyright

[megamania]

I was just reading in Yahoo News that Jack Kirby's kids are trying to sue Marvel comics for the copyrights of ALL the early Marvel Comicbook characters including Spider-man and Dr. Strange.


Just curious what others here think of this. Especially since the article mentions titles that I don't think Kirby had much to do with.

 

[Darth Shoju]

Any chance you could link to the article?

At any rate, I don't see this having any legs. Kirby didn't create most of those characters on his own, and I think they've already been through this rights issue before (which was part of his disgruntlement with Marvel, IIRC).

We'll have to see, I guess, but this seems like some people who had nothing to do with creating anything going after some fat Disney cash. IMO, of course.

 

[Umbran]

The article I saw had it the other way around - the Kirbys had been sending around notices that Marvel's hold on the copyrights ends in 2014 or somesuch, and that Marvel had gone to court to get their announcements nulled...

Let me see if I can find it...

Not the original I saw, but here's some coverage:

Marvel sues to keep rights to Spidey, X-Men from Jack Kirby's heirs | SCI FI Wire

Marvel Seeks Judicial Declaration that Kirby Heirs' Copyright Claims are Invalid

NEW YORK, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Subsidiaries of Marvel Entertainment, LLC today filed suit in federal court in Manhattan seeking a declaration that notices of termination of copyright assignments served by the heirs of long-time Marvel artist Jack Kirby are invalid.

Last September, attorneys acting for the Kirby heirs sent 45 notices to Marvel seeking to terminate purported assignments by Kirby of copyright interests in Marvel Super Hero characters such as X-Men and Fantastic Four. Kirby's heirs are claiming that from 2014 to 2019 various rights supposedly transferred to Marvel will revert to them. The Marvel lawsuit asserts that those claims are baseless because all of Kirby's contributions to Marvel's publications, like those of other comic book writers and artists of the same period, were works made for hire, making Marvel the sole owner of the copyrights.

"The notices filed by the heirs are an attempt to rewrite the history of Kirby's relationship with Marvel," said John Turitzin, Marvel's General Counsel. "Everything about Kirby's relationship with Marvel shows that his contributions were works made for hire and that all the copyright interests in them belong to Marvel."
....

 

[Darth Shoju]

"Everything about Kirby's relationship with Marvel shows that his contributions were works made for hire and that all the copyright interests in them belong to Marvel."

That's what I was thinking. I'm not sure how their council thinks they are going to be able to pull this off.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

"The notices filed by the heirs are an attempt to rewrite the history of Kirby's relationship with Marvel,"

So, they have an issue with somebody trying to retcon Marvel history...

 

[Darth Shoju]

So, they have an issue with somebody trying to retcon Marvel history...

LOL, nice.

 

[Felon]

So, they have an issue with somebody trying to retcon Marvel history...

Maybe Mephisto will show up and offer the Kriby Kids a really sweet deal.

 

[Darth Shoju]

Maybe Mephisto will show up and offer the Kriby Kids a really sweet deal.

Ha! Also nice!