Jack Kirby Estate Not Giving Up, Files Appeal

The estate of Jack Kirby, represented by intellectual property lawyer Marc Toberoff, has filed an appeal with the Second Court of Appeal, according to Deadline. Kirby's estate is suing Disney/Marvel for copyright violations and lack of royalties for the creator's work in developing characters such as Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, The Avengers and more. Disney/Marvel claims that Kirby was an artist for hire, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York agreed, granting the studio's motion for summary judgment. The case could potentially end up being a landmark one, forging new ground into copyright law and work for hire artists. As Deadline's Nikki Finke notes, Toberoff is an extremely powerful and crafty attorney. He has something up his sleeve for sure. Should be interesting to see how this story continues to progress.