Warner Bros. won a crucial battle for the rights to Man of Steel over the heirs of Superman co-creator, Joe Shuster.
Judge Otis D. Wright of U.S. District Court passed a ruling on Wednesday that an agreement in 1992 prevented the heirs of Shuster to exercise copyright law to recapture the author's works.
The judge ruled "that the 1992 Agreement, which represented the Shuster heirs' opportunity to renegotiate the prior grants of Shuster's copyrights, superseded and replaced all prior grants of the Superman copyrights. The 1992 Agreement thus represents the parties' operative agreement and, as a post-1978 grant, it is not subject to termination."
Shuster's children Jean Peavy and Joseph cannot claim to the rights as they struck a deal with DC Comics in 1992 to cover Shuster's debts and this in addition to paying her $25,000 every year for the rest of her life.
Wright also noted that "he was alive, Shuster never terminated his copyright, and the 'heirs essentially struck a deal that binds all other heirs.' He noted that the Copyright Act provides only for a termination of a copyright grant made before Jan. 1, 1978, and the 1992 agreement superseded it," Variety reported.
In 2008, a federal court ruled that the heirs of Jerry Siegel, the other co-creator of Superman could reclaim 50 percent of Superman's rights in 2013 this will include the origin story, the iconic costume, Clark Kent, and everything from Action Comics #1.
However, Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" that will star Henry Cavill as Superman is in post-production and will hit theaters June 14, 2013.
