Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
Yahoo.com is reporting that the creator of the Ghost Rider comic book character Gary Friedrich, is now suing Marvel Enterprises, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, Relativity Media, Crystal Sky Pictures and Michael De Luca Prods. as well as Hasbro Inc. and Take-Two Interactive for what he feels is an unauthorized "joint venture and conspiracy to exploit, profit from and utilize" his copyrights to the comic book character.
Friedrich created the character of Johnny Blaze and his alter ego Ghost Rider in 1968. Three years later, he agreed to publish the character in comic books through Stan Lee's Magazine Management, which eventually became Marvel Entertainment.
Magazine Management allegedly never registered the work with the Copyright Office and, pursuant to federal law, Friedrich regained the copyrights to Ghost Rider in 2001.
Stay tuned for more details on this as they become available.