Siegel & Shuster vs WB: Superman and Infinite Crisis

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't DC lose the rights to Superman's origin? Is this for film only or also comic books? This whole case has me pretty confused.
 
It's hard for me to believe WB will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to produce a single Superman movie without having the rights in place to make a sequel to it after 2013. A one-off Superman film is definitely not a part of DCE's strategy for the future. Sure, they've followed the judge's ruling and put one into development, but barring some sort of legal victory against Toberoff or a breakthrough in negotiations with the heirs, I don't see them committing one to film. At least not one with elements from Action Comics #1 and everything else that would revert to the Siegels and Shusters.
 
It's hard for me to believe WB will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to produce a single Superman movie without having the rights in place to make a sequel to it after 2013. A one-off Superman film is definitely not a part of DCE's strategy for the future. Sure, they've followed the judge's ruling and put one into development, but barring some sort of legal victory against Toberoff or a breakthrough in negotiations with the heirs, I don't see them committing one to film. At least not one with elements from Action Comics #1 and everything else that would revert to the Siegels and Shusters.

^ I disagree. It's pretty simple... WB releases a succesful Superman film, the Siegels/Shusters get their fair share of the money, and they put out the rights to WB to make sequel. The Siegels/Shusters aren't gonna be able to release films on their own and they're definitely not going to miss out on this cash cow. WB/DC will be the only ones to bring in the largest revenues. It is all money that the Siegels/Shusters are about after all... I really don't think they give a sh** about the character.
 
I really don't know why u guys are fretting about this.... it's not going to effect anything.
 
bats what i mean is all the crazy back and forth fighting between all parties suck. Cause its us the fans that will ultimate be screwed over. Of they ultimate take what they own and run off with it(not very likely situation) and then we are left with remains that wb has and we have a partial superman and all that. I really do hope we get a darn agreement worked out so wb/dc can continue to use the full rights in comics/cartoons/movies/tv/etc.....

I really wished this legal stuff wasnt a major factor in things. Cause it does mess around with what is what and all. I know legally the heirs and do all the claims and all that. Through their legal right and all that through our laws. But looking at this as a fan it just blows.
 
All this legal crap over the years with Superman is worthy of a John Grisham novel.
 
Why doesn't the WB just pay them off already...like all normal companies do. How much could they possibly want?
 
Too bad WB cant simply say a sequel is already in works upon the movies release,and the rights ownership deal is postponed.
 
The WB is just going after the attorney of the Sielgel estate (Marc Toberoff). According to Toberoff, the WB thinks that by showing that he has a conflict of intrest, it could pressure the Siegel family into selling the rights back to them at a much lower price. Even if they were successful at doing that, it woudn't stop either of the families from getting another attorney. Suffice it to say that the WB will have to deal with the Siegel and Schuster estates if they want to make future Superman films beyond 2011.
 
yea from what i have gathered from what i been folowing things wb has the copyright and trademarks to majority of superman stuff, but the heirs do have rights to other things. But yea either alone is no good. I do really just wished they heirs and wb/dc can just hammer out a dam deal already that would be a win win for all. IT sucks it just doesnt look like it will happen any time soon.
 
All of this doesn't matter, they have to settle. No matter what happens with the Siegels and Shusters they do not have overseas distribution rights. This notion that these families are going to go out and make their own Superman movie is so funny I can't contain myself. They can't do anything.
 
All this legal crap makes me sick. It's enough to make you throw up on your computer.
 
totally panthro i am getting annoyed to see its still such a mess and a reasonable deal just doesnt seem to be happening at all. I am sure there has to a nice price range that wb/dc comics would settle for and would be a fair deal to the heirs.
 
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All this legal crap makes me sick. It's enough to make you throw up on your computer.

agreed, I don't give 2 craps about the details, I want them to end this **** by tomorrow the latest. Screw that, this **** better get settled TODAY!

that's how sick of it I am, it's gotten beyond what most would consider f'ng pathetic.
 
All of this doesn't matter, they have to settle. No matter what happens with the Siegels and Shusters they do not have overseas distribution rights. This notion that these families are going to go out and make their own Superman movie is so funny I can't contain myself. They can't do anything.

I chuckled even more because your post made me think of a low budget Indian Superman attempt :) So many vids of that have been on yt through the years :D
 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/thr-esq/%E2%80%98superman%E2%80%99-lawsuit-delayed-appeal-31344

In fighting back at that lawsuit, Toberoff filed a bunch of motions seeking to dismiss the complaint and have it declared a violation of his free speech rights under California's anti-SLAPP law. Warners then amended its lawsuit slightly, prompting Toberoff to file his motions again. But the judge ruled the anti-SLAPP motion moot due to the amended complaint.

Still with us? It's pretty complicated, but in a nutshell, as Warners pressed forward with its case, including noticing the depositions of the Siegel and Shuster heirs, Toberoff appealed the order saying the anti-SLAPP motion was mooted. And Friday, on the eve of a scheduled hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright, the judge stayed the entire case against Toberoff pending resolution of that appeal.

That means the studio’s controversial litigation against Toberoff sits on ice temporarily. How long? Appeals can take as long as 18 months but Warners can file a motion to dismiss the appeal, which could speed things up. Still, as the studio ramps up production of its latest Superman movie, the future of the character remains very much in question.

This case is never going to end.
 
EXCLUSIVE: 'Superman' Lawsuit Delay Lifted; Depositions of Siegel and Shuster Families to Begin Immediately

A federal judge has just lifted the delay in the long-running Superman litigation, setting the stage for Warner Bros. to proceed with key depositions of the families of Man of Steel creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel.

As we reported last month, the judge overseeing the high-profile Superman case delayed the matter indefinitely as lawyers for Warner Bros.' DC Comics and the heirs of Shuster and Siegel awaited an appeal of a procedural ruling that could have taken many months. Warners challenged that ruling, and now U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright has modified the order, allowing the studio to restart its information-gathering and "proceed with full discovery of [heirs] Joanne Siegel, Laura Siegel Larson, Jean Peavy and Mark Peavy."

The Nov. 16 order is the latest in the cartoonishly nasty battle between Warners and the Superman heirs over rights to the lucrative character. After a judge ruled a few years back that the studio might lose certain copyrights associated with the Man of Steel, Warners sued Marc Toberoff, the attorney for the families, claiming he improperly convinced them to back out of deals and terminate their copyright assignments relating to Superman.

Now, as Warners fast-tracks its planned Christopher Nolan-produced, Zack Snyder-directed Superman reboot, Toberoff is fighting back agressively against that lawsuit, filing a host of motions attempting to have the case dismissed and Warners punished for targeting him personally. Now, thanks to this ruling, Warners will soon have its chance to ask questions of Toberoff's clients.

Warners lead attorney Dan Petrocelli tells THR that the depositions, which were initially scheduled for Nov. 15, will be rescheduled immediately. We've left word for Toberoff and will update will his comment.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/thr-esq/superman-lawsuit-delay-lifted-depositions-46688
 
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