A federal court has awarded the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel a share of the character's copyright, The New York Times reports.
The court ruling means that Siegel's heirs will be entitled to a share of revenues generated by the character since 1999, when the court deems rights to have reverted to the family. If the ruling stands, the family of Max Shuster may also gain a share in the character in 2013. The families will then share control of the Superman copyright until at least 2033.
Still unresolved is the issue of whether the Siegel and Shuster families would share in Warner Bros. revenues generated by Superman Returns, and the fate of the character's potential upcoming appearances in the sequel to that film and in the planned Justice League movie.
Jerome Siegel originally sold the character to the forerunner of DC Comics for $130.
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