XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX WED APRIL 16, 2003 18:04:38 ET XXXXX

SEALED PAPERS: MARVEL ASKS COURT TO REVOKE SONY'S 'SPIDERMAN' LICENSE

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SONY may be on the verge of losing its SPIDERMAN blockbuster franchise, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal, after MARVEL CHARACTERS INC. accuses the Japanese media giant of fraudulent inducement to make a contract and engaging in unfair competition.

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Sealed court papers show MARVEL wants to revoke SONY's SPIDERMAN license, it has been learned.

Both sides are set to square off on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Alexander Williams III.

The first SPIDERMAN grossed $403,706,375. With a lucrative sequel pending, and a planned SPIDERMAN 3, the case has quickly become top draw on Litigate Lane.

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MARVEL wants to revoke the SPIDERMAN license; MARVEL wants injunctive relief, and is asking the court to enjoin SONY from going forward with the SPIDERMAN license, insiders tell DRUDGE.

The loss of SPIDERMAN could affect all of SONY's future financial plans for its U.S. entertainment company.

MARVEL accuses SONY of literally kidnapping Spidey.

MARVEL is not upset about the way SONY made the movies; it's about the way SONY is handling the merchandising.

MARVEL retained merchandising rights but agreed to a joint venture for some of the SPIDERMAN merchandising, insiders say.

In sealed papers, MARVEL says SONY should not continue advertising SPIDERMAN as a SONY character and marketing him as such through a constellation of SONY consumer products.

SONY had courted MARVEL very aggressively to get the licensing rights and promised the merchandising joint venture would not interfere with the comic co's own merchandising.

MARVEL is accusing SONY of doing everything it can to disassociate SPIDERMAN and MARVEL in the minds of retailers.

MARVEL also feels SONY has wrongfully withheld several millions of dollars it is owed.

Developing...

So, marvel negotiated their cut based on the idea it would make $120-150 million, and they didn't get a big enough piece of the $400 million pie. Boo hoo.

Marvel can't negotiate Hollywood contracts for ****.

Have you seen that abortion of a Captain Amercia movie?

Or that Fantastic Four movie? (Well, that one was so bad that after it was in the can, they sealed it up in a vault.)

Man, this is suck. We finally get some good comic book movie making and the kids gotta squabble.

Marvel's Hollywood savvy 10 years ago and now are worlds apart. If they had the capital, Marvel could set up their own little studio and make a nice dime (something WB is unable to do with DC)

$$ makes the lawyers' world go round and round.

[bitter] HA! [/bitter]

But I thought Spiderman WAS made by Sony!

Who is this Marvel and why is he suing the creator of Spiderman

So which studio does Marvel want to work with on making the spidey films? they sure are shooting themselves in the foot about all this. I'd imagen that other studios will take note about how marvel is crying about all this.

Thought you had landed a job, or were at least under consideration for one?


Oh well, it's really a shame that so many different studios own the rights to Marvel characters thus eliminating possibilities of crossovers. That's one thing I like about WB. All snapped cases aside, they can easily make a team-up flick since they own all the DC character. Wish one studio owned Marvel.

The problem with WB is they don't know how to make a GOOD crossover with the DC characters they have full use of.

Uh, the problem is WB doesn't know how to make a good franchise film wth ONE character, let alone 2 or 3?

Uh, I think the problem with WB is that it can't even get one franchise movie off the ground. In fact, those in the know can say that the reason for no good WB franchise films can be summed up with two words: Jon Peters.