Up, Up, and Litigated: Superman’s 87-Year Copyright War
Date: Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 from 12:00 – 1:15 PM
Location: Online – Zoom
MCLE: 1.0 Hour
You can find the zoom link HERE.
Everyone knows Superman’s fictional origin: rocketed from Krypton, raised in Kansas, savior of Metropolis. But the real battle over Superman’s legacy has taken place not in comic books, but in courtrooms. This presentation explores the complex legal history behind the Man of Steel, from Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s $130 sale of rights in 1938, through decades of litigation, creator struggles, and copyright termination efforts. It’s a story of contracts, reversions, and the limits of intellectual property law, told through the lens of America’s most iconic superhero. We’ll examine how U.S. copyright termination rights allowed the Siegel family to reclaim partial ownership of Superman, why the Shuster estate’s efforts failed, and what role trademarks and “work for hire” doctrine play in protecting modern IP empires. We’ll also look ahead to 2034, when Action Comics #1 and the original version of Superman enter the public domain.
Speaker: Puya Partow-Navid, Seyfarth Shaw
Puya Partow-Navid is a partner in the Century City office of Seyfarth Shaw. He assists clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies in protecting and enforcing their patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. A former Symantec engineer and named inventor of an ad-blocking technology, Puya understands both the excitement and complexity of innovation. He has broad experience in the tech field, including with inventions in the areas of AI, wireless communications and devices, and robotics. Puya is co-editor and a contributing author for “Gadgets, Gigabytes & Goodwill,” Seyfarth’s blog focused on the protection and promotion of intellectual property. He earned his B.S. in computer science from UCLA and his law degree from Loyola Law School.
Price: $20.00
Registration: Please fill out the form below to register online. A confirmation email will be sent to you after registration with the Zoom link.
Questions? Please contact sblawdirector@sblaw.org