Warner Bros. Dismisses Superman Copyright Lawsuit Ahead of Film Release

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the estate of Joseph Shuster, co-creator of Superman, which sought to block the upcoming release of Warner Bros. Discovery's new 'Superman' film and claim international rights to the character. The estate argued that, under foreign copyright laws, particularly in the UK and similar jurisdictions, rights to Superman reverted to them in 2017, but the judge ruled that the U.S. court had no jurisdiction over claims based on foreign law. The lawsuit also sought damages for the character’s continued international use, but the court found the claims were explicitly under foreign laws and therefore not applicable in U.S. federal court. This legal victory clears the way for Warner Bros. to proceed with the July release of its new Superman movie, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet. The case is the latest in a decades-long legal battle over the character’s ownership and rights. Warner Bros. maintains that DC controls all rights to Superman.