The lawsuit regarding the release of the Superman DCU movie has been dismissed.
The estate of Joseph Shuster, who co-created the Superman character alongside Jerry Siegel, previously filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Comics in an attempt to block the release of James Gunn’s forthcoming movie in certain markets.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman officially dismissed the lawsuit on Thursday, April 24, 2025. Furman found “he doesn’t have authority over the case since the copyright infringement claims were brought under the laws of foreign countries.”
A spokesperson for Warner Bros. Discovery said in a statement, “As we have consistently maintained, DC controls all rights to Superman.”
The lawsuit was filed by Shuster’s nephew, Warren Peary. Pearcy claimed “infringement of copyright laws in the U.K., Australia, Canada, and Ireland, among others, alleging that WBD lost its international rights to Superman years ago but continued to exploit them without permission or compensation.”
The article continues, “In Thursday’s ruling, the court rebuffed arguments from Peary that the lawsuit raises an alleged violation of U.S. law that must be considered to decide the case. His ‘infringement claims are brought explicitly under the laws of foreign countries, not the laws of the United States,’ Furman wrote.
“…Under U.S. copyright law, Shuster would typically be able to reclaim his domestic rights to Superman under a provision in intellectual property law that allows authors to claw back ownership of their works after a certain period of time. But his sister and brother reached a deal with DC in 1992 that terminated that right in exchange for $25,000 per year. A federal appeals court later upheld that determination.”
Superman will be released in United States theaters on July 11, 2025.