Marvel WON'T Lose The Rights To GHOST RIDER After Settling Lawsuit With Gary Friedrich
After the Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a victory for Marvel a few months back, the publisher has now successfully avoided a trial which would have potentially put their claim to the rights of the 'Ghost Rider' character on the line. Read on for further details!
'Ghost Rider' co-creator Gary Friedrich has now settled his case with Marvel after clashing with them over who exactly owns the rights to the character. He introduced a version of the superhero in a story in 1972's Marvel Spotlight #5, but Marvel argued back that as a freelancer, he had agreed that any and all creations belonged to the publisher. However, with Friedrich's lawyers claiming that the terms of that agreement were "ambiguous", it looked at least somewhat possible that he would have some sort of claim to ownership when the case went to trial in November. Whether this would have meant that the character would have ended up no longer being a part of the Marvel Universe is unclear, but what we do know is that their stake in the supernatural stuntman is no longer at risk as a settlement has been agreed out of court (it seems likely that a whole lot of money has changed hands...). With several cancelled comic book runs and two unsuccessful movies under his belt, the future of 'Ghost Rider' is unclear. However, the rights are now back with Marvel Studios.
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