A court fight that had threatened to delay the release of the new “Ghost Rider” sequel has been resolved, The Guardian reports this morning:
“Comic book writer Gary Friedrich attempted to sue Marvel, claiming copyright over the character, which he radically revised while working for the company as a freelancer in the 1970s.
However, New York federal judge Katherine Forrest threw out the case on Wednesday, confirming Marvel as the copyright holder and ruling the company was well within its rights to licence Columbia Pictures for 2007’s Ghost Rider and the forthcoming sequel. Forrest said Friedrich signed two contracts in the 1970s which, together, ceded all rights to his employer.
“Either of those contractual transfers would be sufficient to resolve the question of ownership,” she wrote in a judgement. “Together, they provide redundancy to the answer that leaves no doubt as to its correctness.”
Read the full story here.
The Cineaste's Lament. 