Whodathunk that a space alien with a Christ-complex and leotard cooked up by a couple of Jewish kids in Cleveland would become a billion dollar business? They apparently didn’t – hence the $130 fee from Detective Comics (now Warner Bros.-owned behemoth DC Comics). 75 years later, Superman has become so emblematic of “Truth, Justice and the American Way” it’s difficult to comprehend how anyone could own him at all. He’s woven into the fabric of our culture like his public domain brethren Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and yet, like the “Happy Birthday” song, he remains subject to copyright (thanks to his expiration date being a moving target, just like Mickey Mouse’s). What’s fueling his longevity? Check out the figures in the info graphic below…
