Warner Bros using stolen files in war with Superman heirs...

[23skidoo]

I don't see Siegel and Shuster heirs being very smart about this. DC could retaliate and KILL Superman permanently which maybe a good thing because since they could promote some lesser known heroes.

Don't underestimate Superman's worth as a drawing card for DC. Most people don't care about the lesser known heroes (as evidenced by the lack of enthusiasm over Green Lantern, and Thor seemed to disappear off the radar really quickly).

However the point that DC could pull something to make Superman inaccessible forever is a valid one. This is the company that's abandoning 75 years of history by restarting Action Comics and Detective Comics, so they could be capable of anything.

Re: 95 year copyright:

^ And depending on when Disney goes back to Washington to update the copyright laws, it could be even longer than that.

I'm waiting for a company like Disney or a record company to make a case for ad infinitum copyright. Plenty of money has been lost by estates and companies through works going public domain - just look to Europe where all of Elvis' early recordings went public domain a few years back, and I think the Beatles are due to go PD in the next year or two. From a paperwork standpoint it would be much easier to simply say once a product is copyrighted (and in some countries a work is de facto copyrighted the moment it's created, no registration needed) it's under copyright forever.

Alex

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm waiting for a company like Disney or a record company to make a case for ad infinitum copyright.

That would be impossible in the United States, where Article I Section 8 of the Constitution says that copyrights must be "secur[ed] for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." However, the Supreme Court's decision in Eldred v. Ashcroft indicates that Congress can continue to extend copyright protections, so long as they expire at a future date, even if that future date will never actually be achieved because of extended protections.

I think the Beatles are due to go PD in the next year or two.

In Europe, not North America. Though there was a move afoot to extend copyright protections on sound recordings in Europe to 95 years, it was rejected. It would be a mess, though, as only the recording would be in the public domain -- the performance and songwriting royalties would still be in force for another 20 years.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Warners can - and has - trademarked Supes' shield; they don't seem to enforce these trademarks nearly as aggressively or effectively as Disney, though. Have they ever, anywhere, at any time successfully gone after a teeshirt manufacturer who's slapped an "S" shield on their product?

If they don't, they'll lose their trademark.