Do you know that Marvel and DC have maintained joint ownership of the “Super Hero” trademarks for decades? That time has apparently passed, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office canceled the companies' claim to several of their trademarks. information Reuters.
The cancellation comes as a result of a challenge from Superbabies Limited, a small company that produces a series of super babies comics about, well, superhero babies. Superbabies creator SJ Richold decided to challenge the two comics giants' trademark claim after DC “attempted to block Richold's efforts to promote The Super Babies.” wrote the law firm who represented Richold in a statement.
Marvel and DC did not respond to the challenge by the July 24, 2024 deadline, resulting in the brands being canceled. according to USPTO decision. As such, the office canceled four patents, the oldest of which USPTO records show It was for the “SUPER HERO” brand, registered in 1967. The two companies still co-own a “SUPER HEROES” brand, registered in 2018as well as a registered trademark “SUPERVILLAIN” that insured in 1985.
If you want to go down a rabbit hole on the topic of trademarks related to Marvel and DC superheroes, I have just what you need. One of the lawyers involved in the Superbabies trademark challenge, Adam Adleractually wrote a two-part series of articles for Escapist magazine slightly explaining how companies They became co-owners of the brands and what they have done to protect that property over the years. Adler also links to other articles with even deeper dives.
