November 3, 2014 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark

Stan Lee Media Holds No Ownership of Stan Lee’s Characters According to 9th Circuit

On Wednesday, October 29, the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the appeal of Stan Lee Media Inc. from an order dismissing its case against namesake and founder Stan Lee.

The underlying suit, filed by the corporation, was to recover revenue generated by the characters Iron Man, Spider Man, and others. Stan Lee Media was originally formed by Stan Lee in 1998 when he left Marvel Comics. Stan Lee has since returned to Marvel and the corporation filed for bankruptcy. The corporation claims …

July 10, 2012 Rights

Stan “The Man” Lee Victorious Once Again

On July 9, 2012, U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson for the Central District of California dismissed a suit brought against Stan Lee and his production companies, which sought various ownership rights and profits stemming from the use of iconic characters such as Spiderman and the X-Men. Marvel Entertainment, Inc. currently owns the rights.

Counsel for Lee claims that the suit was barred under the legal doctrine of res judicata – similar claims had been filed and dismissed in New York federal court back in April …