Marvel has filed some lawsuits to try and prevent copyrights to some key characters from being terminated. Comic legends Steve Ditko has previously filed two notices of copyright termination with Disney concerning Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Now, Marvel is suing in the hopes of retaining Iron Man, Spidey, and more. Basically, the artist’s heirs are seeking ownership of the characters they helped develop. (Similar suits have been brought forward by Stan Lee’s relatives as well.) It’s no secret that these characters are the lifeblood of the biggest media operation on the planet right now. Disney is trying to make sure that they can win this case and not lose access to a lot of the Avengers’ current roster. Their argument in court would be that these characters are ineligible for copyright termination due to their creation under work for hire agreements back when Ditko was working with Marvel.
