They are seeking to reclaim rights related to the Marvel characters they had a hand in creating, including Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain Marvel, Falcon, Blade and the Wizard - several of which have become star revenue generators for Disney, appearing in films and television shows, along with a plethora of merchandise.Įxplore the Marvel Cinematic Universe The popular franchise of superhero films and television series continues to expand. Toberoff’s other clients are the estates of the comics illustrators Steve Ditko and Don Heck, and heirs of the writers Don Rico and Gene Colan.
Lieber’s older brother, Stan Lee, was chief writer and editor of Marvel Comics. Lieber, 89, a comics writer and artist known for his 1960s-era contributions to bedrock Marvel characters.
The dispute started in the spring when a prominent intellectual property lawyer, Marc Toberoff, served Marvel Entertainment, which Disney owns, with notices of copyright termination on behalf of five clients.
Petrocelli, a high-powered Los Angeles litigator, filed the complaints on Disney’s behalf in federal courts in New York and California. LOS ANGELES - Moving to defend its Marvel superhero franchises, the Walt Disney Company on Friday filed a flurry of lawsuits seeking to invalidate copyright-termination notices served by artists and illustrators involved with marquee characters like Iron Man, Spider-Man and Thor.ĭaniel M.