If anybody thought that Stan Lee Media Inc., the company which now operates independently from its comic book legend founder, was gone for good, guess again. On Friday, SLMI made a big move in U.S. District Court in California to grab back rights on the fictional character Conan the Barbarian and win proceeds from the just-released Conan the Barbarian 3D film.
The new suit comes from SLMI, which has had a rocky history since being founded by Stan Lee in the late 1990s.
Initially, the company looked to be on its way towards success after Lee assigned SLMI rights to his famous comic book characters. In 2000, the company added to its stable of rights by acquiring full ownership of Conan Properties. Then, the following year, SLMI entered bankruptcy, and the company’s IP assets were diverted, leading to a decade of protracted litigation.
Last year, SLMI found its feet again after a Colorado court recognized SLMI’s new board as the duly authorized representative of the company. Since then, the company has been looking to put back the pieces.
