Judge rules Superman belongs to DC Comics

DC Comics, owned by Warner Brothers, brought a lawsuit against the heirs of artist Joe Shuster, co-creator of the legendary comic book character Superman. Shuster’s sister and brother relinquished any possibility of reclaiming copyrights to Superman in exchange for DC Comic pension payments, but Shuster’s heirs have argued the agreement could be terminated based on provisions regarding works made before 1978. The judge however, decided that those provisions did not apply to the case and allowed DC to keep rights to the character. Shuster’s attorney wrote a statement that the Shuster family and its legal team “respectfully disagree with [the court’s]factual and legal conclusions.” Warner Brothers declined to comment on the ruling.