STAN LEE - SPIDER-MAN CREATOR SUED

Comic book legend STAN LEE is being sued over the rights to dozens of characters he created, including SPIDER-MAN and the X-MEN. Lee sold the rights to his characters to Stan Lee Media in October 1998, but the company now claims the illustrator signed an additional deal with Marvel a month later (NOV98), preventing Stan Lee Media benefitting from profits generated by the superhero franchises. According to the New York Daily News, Stan Lee Media alleges it agreed to pay Lee an annual salary of $250,000 (GBP128,295), also giving him $100 million (GBP51.3 million) in the company's stock in exchange for the rights to the characters. Marvel has claimed the lawsuit, filed in New York last week (ends16MAR07) is "without merit". Lee adds, "I do not support this action and believe the suit to be baseless."

19/03/2007 17:51