Marvel Entertainment sued the heirs of Jack Kirby, a former Marvel artist who drew superheros like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and The Incredible Hulk, challenging their claims that copyrights assigned by Kirby to Marvel will revert back to them starting in 5 years.

Kirby collaborated with fellow comic artisan Stan Lee for nearly a decade. 

A 2007 op-ed piece by New York Times editorial writer Brent Staples described a strained relationship between Kirby and Marvel:

The timing of the claims filed by Kirby’s heirs is not insignificant. Kirby died in 1994, but his heirs filed their claim coming less than a month after Disney agreed to pay Marvel $4 billion to purchase their superhero conglomerate.

The combined Disney-Marvel enterprise has the potential to generate the largest entertainment licensing revenue that the world has ever known. 

You can read Marvel’s lawsuit here:

 

The New York City Law firms representing Marvel in the federal lawsuit are Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker.

The Los Angeles firm of Toberoff & Associates represents Kirby’s heirs in their attempts to claim control of their late father’s works.

  • Marvel Sues to Keep Spider-Man X-Men Copyrights, AP (Jan. 8, 2010)
  • Disney to Acquire Marvel in $4 Billion Deal, Reuters (Sept. 1, 2009)
  • Heirs File Claims to Marvel Superheros, Los Angeles Times (Sept. 21, 2009)
  • Jack Kirby, a Comic Book Genius is Finally Remembered, Brent Staples, New York Times (Aug. 26, 2007)

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