Siegel

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION

This case is the latest chapter in the continuing saga over who owns the copyright to “Superboy,” the youthful persona of the iconic comic book super hero “Superman,” spanning from the golden age of print media comics to the present-day revolution in digital media. Like the entire spectrum of graphics media technology, the law governing ownership rights to copyrights has changed dramatically, and it is precisely these changes in the law that bring this case to this Court.

Although the story of how Superman and later Superboy came into being has become the stuff of legend among comic book fans, the Court will recite it once more for those unfamiliar with the tale.

Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster are Superman’s creators. In 1933, Siegel conceived of the idea of a comic strip featuring a character who is sent to Earth from a distant planet and, with superhuman powers, performs daring feats for the public good. Siegel named his character “Superman.” Siegel discussed his idea with Shuster, an artist, and together they crafted a comic strip consisting of several weeks worth of material (both dialogue and artwork, some of the…