tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post2568900047725550039..comments2024-03-15T11:42:21.265-04:00Comments on The Patry Copyright Blog: Super Superman opinionWilliam Patryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12987498082479617363noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-30988863290820498372008-06-26T02:15:00.000-04:002008-06-26T02:15:00.000-04:00Here is the actual decision, in case anyone is int...Here is the actual decision, in case anyone is interested.<BR/><BR/>http://www.docstoc.com/docs/623196/Superman-Copyright-Decision---Siegel-Familymbilinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03527627791197307455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-78910135353026923682008-06-26T02:11:00.000-04:002008-06-26T02:11:00.000-04:00Here is a link to the actual court decisionhttp://...Here is a link to the actual court decision<BR/><BR/>http://www.docstoc.com/docs/623196/Superman-Copyright-Decision---Siegel-Family<BR/><BR/>In case anyone is interested.mbilinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03527627791197307455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-58946754811225569402008-04-10T00:44:00.000-04:002008-04-10T00:44:00.000-04:00im very thankful to you for giving me reference to...im very thankful to you for giving me reference to a lot of cases of copyright issues. i'm a student of NIFT (NATIONAL INSTT. OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY), India. and studying intellectual property rights which includes studying copyrighting laws too.. ur blog has added to my understanding of the subject. i sincerely am very thankful for ur blog to have popped up on the first page of my google search.Aparna Mudihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09991410465117278264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-81062334662143411542008-04-03T13:40:00.000-04:002008-04-03T13:40:00.000-04:00Bill, Thanks for sending me the opinion. It certa...Bill, Thanks for sending me the opinion. It certainly lived up to its billing in your post. What a thorough and thoughtful explication of so many complex copyright issues. It's possible to teach so many issues just from this case: work for hire, duration, termination and renewal, licensing, statute of limitations, etc. <BR/><BR/>Amy CohenAmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15720293202890878993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-65573798928939483702008-04-01T21:06:00.000-04:002008-04-01T21:06:00.000-04:00m.c. valada sez...Paul Levitz has single-handedly ...m.c. valada sez...<BR/>Paul Levitz has single-handedly done much to rectify many of the financial inequities and those credit issues (such as for Bill Finger) for DC's large stable of talent from the earliest days of comics. Would that Marvel's empire have someone of equal conscience at the head of its organization.<BR/><BR/>The recent Spider-Man 3 film and new Spider-Man cartoon have a "created by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko" credit. Hopefully, Ditko is now getting some cash as a result.<BR/>The FF film & cartoon both have a "created by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby" credit, thus some money for his estate.<BR/>When Batman, in ANY form, has a "created by Bill Finger & Bob Kane" credit, THEN and only then, will DC have "balanced the books."<BR/>(Not to say DC hasn't done the right thing when they could. Example: In the 1980s, they had Jack Kirby redesign his Fourth World characters for licensed products so the King [and now his estate] could collect royalties on the characters, a matter which his previous contract didn't cover!)Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13282840572276636996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-23777554575688931212008-04-01T12:24:00.000-04:002008-04-01T12:24:00.000-04:00Hi, Bill:I met Joanne Siegel at the memorial for h...Hi, Bill:<BR/><BR/>I met Joanne Siegel at the memorial for her husband at Warner Bros. in 1996. It occurred just about the time my article "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" appeared in Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine. The article about how comic book creators had been treated over the years had a highlight about the Superman situation, which would soon be reaching that magic moment when the termination right of the 1976 Act kicked in. Mrs. Siegel's son-in-law and Mr. Shuster's nephew both contacted me after the article appeared. Paul Levitz and I have had a few hearty discussions about my theory as well. I am looking forward to the rest of the story and I applaud Joanne Siegel's fortitude.<BR/><BR/>BTW, Bob Kane's good fortune is probably due to the fact that his father worked in a press room and knew that there were better deals to be had than the one foisted upon Siegel and Shuster. <BR/><BR/>William Moulten Marsten's deal was so good that DC has kept Wonder Woman in constant publication to avoid a reversion of rights to the family. Marsten was an inventor of the lie detector and, one extrapolates, a far more sophisticated licenser that Siegel and Shuster were.<BR/><BR/>Over the years I've been involved with this industry, since I first started gathering information for Congressional hearings on work for hire when I worked with Chuck Ossola, I've come to learn that most of the Golden and Silver Age creators had none of the knowledge or negotiating skills necessary to preserve their own interests in their works. Fortunately, the climate of the late 1980s changed a lot about the business and newer creators have almost always maintained financial interests in their works.<BR/><BR/>Paul Levitz has single-handedly done much to rectify many of the financial inequities and those credit issues (such as for Bill Finger) for DC's large stable of talent from the earliest days of comics. Would that Marvel's empire have someone of equal conscience at the head of its organization.M. C. Valadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06301675413866610210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-45645002647274305822008-04-01T05:54:00.000-04:002008-04-01T05:54:00.000-04:00Hi, for more on the Jewish origins and possible me...Hi, for more on the Jewish origins and possible meaning check out Danny Fingeroth's book 'Disguised as Clark Kent" which came out last year.Dr. Jeff McLaughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01278344316040042830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-1578229783516626052008-03-30T08:42:00.000-04:002008-03-30T08:42:00.000-04:00Two historical, non-Superman related items from th...Two historical, non-Superman related items from the Sunday New York Times. From the Book Review section, there is a review by Douglas Wolk of Nancy Goldstein 's just published book on Zelda Marvin Jackson a/k/a Jackie Ormes, called "Jackie Ormes: The First African American Cartoonist."<BR/><BR/>In the Arts and Leisure section, there is a wonderful article (with pictures) about Al Jaffee, who has been drawing by hand the Mad Fold-inWilliam Patryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12987498082479617363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-45143744932071448812008-03-29T20:21:00.000-04:002008-03-29T20:21:00.000-04:00K.S., thanks for the tip. I have already ordered t...K.S., thanks for the tip. I have already ordered the book.<BR/><BR/>Brad,I had forgotten all about the Bill Ginger issue, which you correctly point out. My wife clerked for a judge who had a Batman case once, and they did a lot of research on it, almost all of which I have forgotten, even though I have lots of Batman comic books as a result, including some ealy originals like the one that has a zebra-themed Batman on the cover. I recall Kane never truly gave Finger the considerable credit he was due. And Kane certainly was an exception in doing well for himself financially too.<BR/><BR/>Michael, the zebra story is a cool one. I also have a rainbow colored Batman. Thanks too for the reminder about the anniversary. There have been many cases about terminations of transfers and work for hire under the 1909 Act, two of the big topics in the case, but few on how you handle the mind-bogglingly difficult termination issues as occur with characters. The opinion, while aware of them and deciding the question in this case, didn't even hint at the difficulties. But in terms of precedent, by upholding the notices here, if future termination notices were as well done as these (and they were done by a real expert, Arthur J. Levine), the case is important for other creators. <BR/><BR/>In the posting, I didn't mean to in any way take away from the significance of the ruling but anticipating that popular press accounts would be simplified, wanted to let more careful folks know that its a long and winding road, and a very expensive one. It was also a prayer for peace, not war, expressed in the hope that realistic assessments of future recoveries could be balanced off against the costs of future litigation and time. How great would it be for the heirs to enjoy a well-deserved and fair settlement now, rather than to pass the suit on to their heirs in the hope of getting more, especially if this is a contingency case in which the lawyers' fees may take a very chunk of any recovery? What we need now is a superhero to get the parties together and end the litigation once and forever.William Patryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12987498082479617363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-8020372668137819112008-03-29T18:22:00.000-04:002008-03-29T18:22:00.000-04:00I'm just a comics fan who has been following this ...I'm just a comics fan who has been following this and the Superboy stories, so pretty much all I know of copyright law has come from reading those legal rulings and discussions about them.<BR/><BR/>Nice to read about it from someone who literally wrote the book about copyright law!<BR/><BR/>To your knowledge, is there case law covering copyright recovery via the 1976 and 1998 laws passed by Congress? Does this case set a precedent?<BR/><BR/>And speaking of a "propitious time for lovers of comic book history", the ruling comes just a couple weeks shy of the 70th anniversary of the publication of Action Comics #1 in April 1938.<BR/><BR/>(PS... it's "Shuster", not "Schuster", as was misspelled a couple of times.)<BR/><BR/>Oh, and here's your <A HREF="http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/oddball/index.cgi?date=2001-12-10" REL="nofollow">Zebra Batman story</A>, I think.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15001530336692435773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-9047227663618637222008-03-29T15:05:00.000-04:002008-03-29T15:05:00.000-04:00"Robert Kahn, who changed his name to Bob Kane, kn..."Robert Kahn, who changed his name to Bob Kane, known to aficionados as the creator of Batman"<BR/><BR/>Much of the character of Batman was actually created by Bill Finger, who wrote the first story, and created Batman's alter ego Bruce Wayne, along with his tragic back story. In addition, Finger was responsible for much of the look of Batman, suggesting changes to Kane's original proposals. Unfortunately, Kane's contract with the publisher prevented Finger from being officially recognized for his contributions, although they are widely known by comic book afficionados.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08498235544724845653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-32025043074433400972008-03-29T12:23:00.000-04:002008-03-29T12:23:00.000-04:00After I read the NY Times article I immediately th...After I read the NY Times article I immediately thought, "I hope Patry covers this".<BR/><BR/>I am not a copyright lawyer ... I'm not a lawyer at all. I'm just an eclectic technologist who enjoys this stuff.<BR/><BR/>My frustration with the NY Times article was that it did not seem to provide a summary of the issues.<BR/><BR/>Reading the NY Times article it seemed simple. The heirs terminated the transfer as the law provides. What's to litigate about?<BR/><BR/>Now, thanks to this post, I've been able to read the decision and know why they NY Times did not provide that summary. <BR/><BR/>All that said, what a surprise it was for ME to note the court's citations of Patry in the decision. It is interesting how it all comes together.<BR/><BR/>A "thank you" seems inadequate here. But, Thank You.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-5838782341404250322008-03-29T11:45:00.000-04:002008-03-29T11:45:00.000-04:00Don't forget the 2005 book "Men Of Tomorrow: Geek,...Don't forget the 2005 book "Men Of Tomorrow: Geek, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book" by Gerald Jones. It covers the genesis of National Periodical Publications, the precursor to DC Comics. Jones vividly captures the milieu and focuses on all the early players working in near sweatshops to churn out pages and meet deadlines. It is a swift read and less than four bits on Amazon.K. S. La Bocahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05727638926162549979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-1654801656897455222008-03-29T05:06:00.000-04:002008-03-29T05:06:00.000-04:00Interesting post!Interesting post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-32673451737930085892008-03-29T00:47:00.000-04:002008-03-29T00:47:00.000-04:00A shame Jerry Sigel didn't live to see this day. ...A shame Jerry Sigel didn't live to see this day. Does the ruling affect DC's ability to continue churning out Superman clones, or even further adventures of existing characters with a strong resemblance to Superman?<BR/><BR/>By the way “Masters of American Comics,” an excellent exhibit, was a joint venture of The Newark Museum in Newark and the Jewish Museum in NYC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-13140471329212318992008-03-28T18:56:00.000-04:002008-03-28T18:56:00.000-04:00Touching ending to a clarifying post, which I now ...Touching ending to a clarifying post, which I now need to go back and reread. (My grasp of copyright law is no stronger than my ability to cook or ski.) I wrote a book on Siegel and Shuster coming out this summer. Since it's the first aimed at young people, I only touched on the litigation. I fear it's too late for me to make a change based on this latest news...Marc Tyler Noblemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10732005290440645718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-32774767459527040882008-03-28T11:43:00.000-04:002008-03-28T11:43:00.000-04:00I forgot to mention that Arie's articles about Jew...I forgot to mention that Arie's articles about Jews and comics are conveniently hidden behind the "Reform Judiasim" tab on his site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-23347582276941158532008-03-28T11:42:00.000-04:002008-03-28T11:42:00.000-04:00Thanks, Anon, I had looked at Arie's site, and got...Thanks, Anon, I had looked at Arie's site, and got some of the links in the post from it. I should have linked to his book though.William Patryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12987498082479617363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12505562.post-38525046533703587032008-03-28T11:38:00.000-04:002008-03-28T11:38:00.000-04:00If you are interested in the history of Jews in th...If you are interested in the history of Jews in the comics industry, you should check out Arie Kaplan's site, http://www.ariekaplan.com, where he has written a lengthy treatment of the subject, and also his book, "Masters of the Comic Book Universe Revealed!" which contains some well done biographical sketches of the principal creators.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com