This lawsuit has been well-known in comic-book circles. The late comic-book artist had created the Hulk and X-men characters for Marvel, then he claimed he owned the rights. Marvel said no, and a lawsuit developed, and the District Court of NY as well as the Court of Appeal said he was just working on contract, so the company owned the characters. Kirby has since passed away, but his estate has continued seeking compensation for his alleged rights that have been breached. This was supposed to go to the US Supreme Court, but Disney/Marvel reached an out-of-court settlement.
I would agree with the courts, because I think he was working on contract to create those characters for the company. That said, the free-market tends to adapt, so other comic-book publishers have since arisen to attract talented artists and writers by letting them own their creations.
The moral of the Jack Kirby saga is that everything must be clarified in writing, to ensure there is no misunderstanding. I have seen this time and again, and, when I hear people saying everything is based on trust and a handshake, I say that they are asking for trouble, because, if there is ever a disagreement, everyone will have a different version of what that handshake was all about.
Please remember, if you deal with others, you must clarify everything in writing.
I would agree with the courts, because I think he was working on contract to create those characters for the company. That said, the free-market tends to adapt, so other comic-book publishers have since arisen to attract talented artists and writers by letting them own their creations.
The moral of the Jack Kirby saga is that everything must be clarified in writing, to ensure there is no misunderstanding. I have seen this time and again, and, when I hear people saying everything is based on trust and a handshake, I say that they are asking for trouble, because, if there is ever a disagreement, everyone will have a different version of what that handshake was all about.
Please remember, if you deal with others, you must clarify everything in writing.