According to Comicbook, the long-held trademarks of Marvel and DC have been cancelled. According to the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Law Firm (RJLF) recently announced that it defeated DC and Marvel in its patent application for "SuperHero". The trademark has been canceled after the two companies failed in court requests for a joint trademark challenge, and RJLF's customers have been able to use the term without issue.
It is reported that "SuperHero" was a trademark jointly registered by DC and Marvel in the 1970s and approved in 1979. Since then, the two have defended the trademark rights in the United States and the international community many times. However, in May this year, someone challenged the trademark again.
The lawyer pointed out that the term SuperHero is a common slang that many people use every day and is not entitled to trademark protection. Although during the subsequent court confrontation, representatives from DC and Marvel submitted motions to request an extension of time to respond to the accusations, but they did not apply again, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the trademark rights.
It is reported that although the trademark rights have been cancelled, this will not affect the publishing, printing or use of vocabulary of Marvel and DC comics.
Legal counsel for Superbabies, the plaintiff, said in a statement that this is a win for everyone: We have finally ensured that the word "SuperHero" is in the public domain: "We are protecting it as a symbol of heroism that all storytellers can use."