More Copyright Kryptonite for Superman, and Another Famous Character’s IP Rights in the News
By Margo Lynn Hablutzel, J.D., LLM, CISSP
Intellectual Property,
March 2025
In his world, Superman is often in the news for stopping wars, preventing buildings from falling on people, and taking ill children on world tours. In our world, except for movie box office receipts, the main time Superman is in the news is when copyright and trademark issues arise. So it was earlier this year, when outlets reported on a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York by the executor of the estate of Joseph Shuster, one of the creators of the Man of Steel. The lawsuit claimed that DC Comics, DC Entertainment, and others were violating the estate’s foreign copyrights in the character.
Public Domain Day 2025 Report
By Margo Lynn Hablutzel, J.D., LLM, CISSP
Intellectual Property,
March 2025
Public Domain Day began as an informal observance in 2004 and since has become formal recognition of works falling into the public domain due to age. The rule of Public Domain Day is simple: works more than 95 years old (100 years for sound recordings) fall into the public domain and are no longer protectible by copyright.
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