By Kayla DeKraker
Warner Bros. Discovery has officially won a lawsuit against the estate of Superman creator Joseph Shuster.
The lawsuit, filed by Shuster’s nephew Mark Peary, sought to stop Warner Bros. Discovery from releasing the upcoming SUPERMAN film in several countries, claiming that Shuster’s estate had the authority to cancel copyrights in other countries.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled that the court does not have the right to address anything under foreign laws. The verdict reads, “The Court concludes that it lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over this case; the case therefore must be and is dismissed.” Furman added, “Additionally, given the Court’s lack of jurisdiction, Peary’s motion for a preliminary injunction must be and is denied as moot.”
Peary’s lawsuit which was originally filed in January read, “Shuster died in 1992 and Siegel in 1996. By operation of law, Shuster’s foreign copyrights automatically reverted to his estate in 2017 in most of these territories (and in 2021 in Canada).”
It continued to claim that WBD is “exploiting” Superman.
“Defendants continue to exploit Superman across these jurisdictions without the Shuster Estate’s authorization — including in motion pictures, television series, and merchandise — in direct contravention of these countries’ copyright laws, which require the consent of all joint copyright owners to do so,” it said.
Previously, Peary and his lawyer had filed a lawsuit that attempted to compensate Peary for the release of the film in U.K., Canada, Australia and Ireland, and block the release otherwise.
Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement, “As we have consistently maintained, DC controls all rights to Superman.”
Immediately following the ruling, Peary filed the lawsuit again in the state of New York.
The new SUPERMAN film is set to release July 11. Warner Bro’s posted a special behind-the-scenes video.
Related: Superman Co-Creator’s Estate Sues DC, Warner Bros. Discover
People in the comment section expressed excitement for the upcoming movie. “I’ve been hyped for a year and the hype only continues to grow this looks incredible 💙💛❤️,” one user said. Another person added, “Absolutely incredible. Cannot wait until July!”
The new film will star David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran previously told the Hollywood Reporter what he envisions this new SUPERMAN to be. “I think he’s the right Superman because he is a character that stands for something that is solid, stands for basic human morals, basic human integrity, basic belief in protecting others and protecting the weak being good to people and being honest,” Safran explained.
“People are looking for heroes right now. They are looking for values of goodness, looking for people who are good and decent human beings. And Superman is that.”
Whether or not Peary’s new lawsuit will hold any weight in New York is uncertain, but as of now, Superman fans can look forward to an exciting new film this summer.
Read Next: Why Is This DC Universe Show Releasing Before SUPERMAN?
- Content: +3Share:
- Content: +1