An executor representing the estate of one of the co-creators of Superman has initiated legal action against DC Comics Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., aiming to prevent the utilization of the iconic superhero and related narratives in several significant international markets, particularly in light of an impending film release scheduled for July. According to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, copyright law in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia stipulates that the rights associated with the Superman narrative automatically revert to the author’s estate 25 years after their death. The complaint indicates that Joseph Shuster, one of Superman's co-creators, died in 1992, while his counterpart, Jerome Siegel, passed away in 1996. Mark Warren Peary, who filed the lawsuit both individually and as the executor of Shuster’s estate, contends that the foreign copyrights reverted to Shuster’s estate in 2017 (and in 2021 for Canada). Despite this legal framework, Peary asserts that DC Comics and Warner Bros. have continued to exploit the Superman character in these regions without the necessary authorization from Shuster’s estate. The complaint highlights that the studios are poised to infringe upon these rights with the imminent release of their Superman film in the aforementioned territories. Peary’s legal team, Toberoff & Associates PC, seeks declaratory relief while asserting claims of copyright infringement based on Canadian, UK, Australian, and Irish laws. In response, a spokesperson for Warner Bros. expressed strong disagreement with the lawsuit's claims and affirmed their intention to robustly defend their rights. The case is registered as Peary v. DC Comics Inc., S.D.N.Y., No. 1:25-cv-00910.
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