Joanne Siegel - Wife of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel - Letter to Warner Bros. Superman fans seem split between sympathy and contempt for the estates of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster who have gone after their legal right to reclaim certain aspects of the Man of Steel's copyright.
Back in December, Joanne Siegel, wife of Jerry and the model for Lois Lane way back at the beginning, wrote a letter to Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Bewkes, which is heartfelt and puts a human face on all the courtroom drama that has gone on. It will be interesting to see how/if the studio responds and how far-reaching this letter is thanks to the Internet.
Normally we would only print an excerpt, but with all due respect and acknowledgment of Deadline as the source, we felt it important to present the entire letter. Please weigh in on your views. December 10, 2010 Jeffrey L. Dear Jeff, I am Joanne Siegel widow of Jerry Siegel, creator of Superboy and co-creator of Superman with Joe Shuster. Steve Ross knew how to take care of large vexing problems. Now you are Chairman and CEO. Letter From Lois Lane To Time Warner Boss. EXCLUSIVE: Today Lois Lane was cast for Warner Bros’ Superman movie reboot.
So it’s fitting to note that, on February 12th, the widow of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel died of heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital at age 93. While much has been made of the fact that she was the model for Lois Lane, Joanne Siegel also was a driving force along with the estate of Joe Shuster to recapture the entire original copyright to Superman. The Siegel heirs have already been awarded half the copyright for Superman. And in 2013 the Shuster heirs get the remaining half. After that, neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros will be able to use Superman without a financial agreement with the Siegels and Shusters. December 10, 2010Jeffrey L. I am Joanne Siegel widow of Jerry Siegel, creator of Superboy and co-creator of Superman with Joe Shuster. New Setback for Warner Bros. in 'Superman' Litigation. A judge has rejected Warner Bros.' attempts to pry open secret documents that purportedly show an agreement between the estates of Superman co-creators Joel Shuster and Jerry Siegel not to make further copyright deals with the studio.
The documents are said to also contain a formula for how the two estates will share proceeds on Superman once they successfully terminate Warner's rights to the lucrative franchise. The two estates has been fighting with Warner Bros. for more than a decade over Superman rights and profits, sending notices in the mail in 1999 that purported to exercise termination rights under the 1976 Copyright Act.
The heirs filed suit in 2004 that sought a declaration that they had successfully terminated rights to the first Superman comic book published by Detective Comics in 1938, which contains much of the famous mythology of the Man of Steel. In 2008, on summary judgment, a judge granted that wish. Reviewing the situation, U.S. Superman: If There's a Divorce, Who Gets What? Writes Variety, "The Siegel and Shuster estates could wind up owning some parts of the Superman story while DC Comics owns others.
The estates could get Superman's blue leotard, red cape and boots, plus an ability to leap tall buildings while DC retains villains like Lex Luthor plus Superman's ability to fly. The question is: Could each party proceed with a subsequent project without the other's involvement? In theory, come 2013 auds could see two parallel versions of the Man of Steel ramp up. In practice, that looks pretty unworkable. " The piece goes on to explain that no matter what rights the estates may be awarded, the all-important trademarks will continue to be held by DC/Warner, which would significantly impact on ways that the estates can create merchandise based on the character. The article then postulates that both parties could create Superman adventures, noting a recent legal ruling between Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane regarding Spawn. For more, just follow the link.