Disney-owned Marvel is suing relatives of Steve Ditko and other Marvel comics creators to retain control of classic characters, including Iron Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Black Widow. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the suits follow Lieber and others sending termination notices to reclaim part of the rights on many Marvel characters. Termination notices are meant to let creators and their heirs share in publishers’ profits. “This case thus involves an invalid attempt, by means of termination notices ... to acquire certain rights to iconic Marvel comic book characters and stories,” says the suit against Lieber. Artists and authors, as well as their families, have fought repeated legal battles for the rights to iconic comics characters.

Source: The Nation September 24, 2021 18:45 UTC