Marvel and DC have lost their trademarks for the terms "super hero" and "super heroes" after holding onto them for decades.
As reported by Reuters, DC allegedly threated legal action and accused S.J. Richold, the author of comic series Superbabies, of infringing on its copyright. The Superbabies brand retaliated, however, saying in May that Marvel and DC can't "claim ownership over an entire genre."
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office ruled in favor of Superbabies after neither Marvel owner Disney nor DC owner Warner Bros. filed an answer to the request to invalidate the trademarks.
Superbabies attorney Adam Adler of Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg said the move was "not just a win for our client but a victory for creativity and innovation."
"By establishing super heroes' place in the public domain, we safeguard it as a symbol of heroism available to all storytellers," Adler added.
This won't change much at Marvel or DC, as the loss of the trademark doesn't mean they can no longer use the term super hero or anything along those lines. It simply means the comic book titans can no longer stop others from using the term 'super hero' or 'super heroes' in their own branding.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
