The estate of one of Superman's co-creators has filed a copyright lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery in a U.S. court ahead of the release of the new movie, "Superman," as part of a planned reboot of the DC Comics superhero film franchise.
Filed on Friday in federal court in New York City, the lawsuit was brought by the estate of Superman illustrator Joseph Shuster, who alongside writer Jerome Siegel, created the famous superhero.
According to the lawsuit, Shuster and Siegel had originally licensed their rights to the character to Detective Comics, which later became DC Comics, now a Warner subsidiary. The lawsuit argues that Shuster's rights reverted to his estate in 2017, 25 years after his passing, under British law.
The estate alleges that Warner did not pay royalties for using Superman in various countries outside the U.S., including Britain, Canada, and Australia.
The upcoming Superman movie, directed by James Gunn and featuring David Corenswet, is scheduled for release in theaters in July. This new legal action could complicate the film's international distribution, adding to the ongoing dispute over the character's rights.
The estate is seeking monetary damages and a court order to prevent Warner from depicting Superman without a valid license.
"We fundamentally disagree with the lawsuit's validity, and will vigorously defend our rights," stated a Warner spokesperson.
"This lawsuit aims to rightfully compensate Joe Shuster for his essential role as Superman's co-creator, rather than obstructing fans' enjoyment of the next Superman release," stated the estate's attorney, Marc Toberoff.
The lawsuit highlights that Shuster and Siegel began creating Superman comic strips in 1934 and that Detective Comics started publishing their works in 1938.
Litigation over Superman's rights between Shuster, Siegel, and their estates versus Warner has been ongoing for years. In 2013, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled against the creators reclaiming their rights from Warner under U.S. law.
The new lawsuit bases its claims on British law, asserting that works featuring Superman since 2017 infringe the estate's copyright in countries following British law, including movies, TV shows, and video games.