For businesses and those in the innovative and creative fields, intellectual property is a concern in Denver and across the nation. Prominent disputes regarding these rights are often fought in public. This is especially true if it involves a creative force like the late comic book icon Stan Lee.
Mr. Lee’s daughter J.C. has restarted a dispute her father had regarding his creations prior to his death. Mr. Lee died nearly one year ago at age 95. The lawsuit, filed in California, names POW! Entertainment as the defendant. Before he passed away, Mr. Lee filed a lawsuit for $1 billion against POW. In it, he asserted that he was taken advantage of in multiple ways. He dropped the lawsuit with a statement expressing confusion about the whole process and saying that he was happy to move on from the allegations.
J.C.’s lawsuit addresses those concerns and other issues from the 1990s when her father was dismissed from Marvel as the company was in financial trouble. He had started a new company but later reconciled with Marvel. POW was designed to hold his intellectual property. J.C. claims to have had a forensic accounting of the businesses and found irregularities indicating he was misled and his intellectual property rights were violated. This suggests that Mr. Lee’s estate will continue to be disputed by family members and companies he was involved with.
Any business dispute can be complicated and difficult to navigate. Since this case features characters that have become part of the culture in undeniable ways as is the situation with Mr. Lee’s creations, it is drawing substantial attention. While most cases are for lesser-known properties, legal help experienced in intellectual property claims might be imperative to handle the filing effectively.
