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Posted September 27, 2014 by Yuri Mangahas in Comics
 
 

Marvel and Jack Kirby’s Heirs Finally End Long-Running Dispute

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Just days before the case was set to go unto the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court that might have seen an outcome resulting in Marvel’s loss of Spider-Man and other classic characters, the said publishing outfit finally settled their decades-long dispute with Jack Kirby’s estate.

Marvel Entertainment and the late great’s heirs had a long running dispute concerning the rights of a majority of their staple characters for a number of years now. Fortunately, before things came to a head, the case was settled off-court before any appeals have reached the court.

“Marvel and the family of Jack Kirby have amicably resolved their legal disputes, and are looking forward to advancing their shared goal of honoring Mr. Kirby’s significant role in Marvel’s history,” the company and Kirby’s family said in a joint statement released today.

Kirby’s heirs had been pursuing Marvel over profits relating to characters co-created by the artist and sought to terminate grants of copyrights to the characters, under a clause of the 1976 Copyright Act. However, Marvel contended that they continued to own the characters because Kirby was working “for hire.” It’s likely that they’ve been paid a huge sum or promised a cut moving forwards, though it’s not quite clear what would have happened if the Kirby family had managed to get their hands on the rights to characters like the Hulk and Fantastic Four.


Yuri Mangahas

 
Yuri is magnanimously juggling between two managerial jobs: A technical manager position for an advertising/copy-writing company, and an associate editorial position for a fashion and lifestyle magazine. Nevertheless, he still finds time taking photos and seeking for geek nirvana.