The five most intriguing copyright cases concludes with the final three, and begins where we started –the entertainment industry.
In the longest comic book legal battle to date, DC Comics sued Fawcett Publications for infringing upon their Superman character with Fawcett’s Captain Marvel, better known as Shazam!
But the Shazam! comic book character is actually owned by DC Comics, now doing business as National Comics Publications and a subsidiary of Time Warner. DC had sent a “cease and desist” letter to Fawcett back in 1941 when it filed the lawsuit which claimed Fawcett’s Captain Marvel was a “rip-off” of DC’s Superman.
According to Wikipedia, the legal battle continued in both district and appeals courts until 1953, at which time Fawcett decided to settle with DC/National having previously won but minor victories in the contentious battle. However, the company later rebounded through a series of acquisitions, including the trademark for Captain Marvel under “Marvel Comics” in 1967.
But they have also licensed the Marvel Family of characters to National, who began featuring Captain Marvel as being succeeded by the newly created Shazam! –an amalgamation of Captain Marvel and his alter-ego, Billy Batson.
The two titans of the industry continue to duke it out in court on occasion, the filings of which undoubtedly stir much excitement by way of monetary gains for the law firms representing them.
