Rights in the cartoons, says the comic book empire, were not
properly transferred to Disney when it purchased US television
company Fox Family Worldwide in 2001, and so the entertainment
giant has no right to show the animations now.
According to the Associated Press, the suit, filed in a Los
Angeles federal court on Friday, alleges fraud, unfair competition
and copyright infringement.
It follows on from a suit filed by Marvel in July, charging that
Disney has not kept proper accounting records of the royalties due
to Marvel; that while some royalties have been paid, Marvel is due
millions in unpaid royalties; and that Disney has not been
aggressive enough in marketing the cartoons, particularly in light
of the recent blockbuster Spider-Man and Hulk films.
The first Spider-Man movie, starring Toby Maguire and Kirsten
Dunst, became the highest grossing film of 2002, taking over $800
million at cinemas worldwide. Combined with DVD sales, it generated
more than $1.3 billion in revenue. This year's sequel has generated
around $820 million worldwide so far. Spider-Man 3 is due to be
released in May 2007.
