The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is once again hearing a case dealing with the rights to the “Superman” franchise. In 2004, Laura Siegel Larson filed a lawsuit over a rights agreement that her father and franchise co-creator Jerome Siegel had entered into with DC Comics and Warner Bros. in 1938. The 9th circuit court had held in January 2013 that Warner Bros. owned the Superman character and that a letter from a Siegel family attorney was sufficient to show a valid contract. The issue on the table at this current hearing concerns whether Larson was entitled to a rescission of the agreement. The 9th Circuit Court panel that is hearing the case has not given any indication about how they intend to rule.
See Katherine Proctor, ‘Superman’ Rights Fight Returns to 9th Circuit, Courthouse News Service, November 3, 2015.
