Kirby heirs to claim Marvel Characters?

The heirs of late comic book artist Jack Kirby have launched a bid to reclaim the copyright to the characters he created.

Marvel Comics currently holds the rights to Kirby's creations and co-creations - which includes highly-profitable properties such as the X-Men and the Fantastic Four - but the illustrator's four children recently hit the publisher with 45 copyright-termination notices.

The Kirby estate served the notices under the US Copyright Act, which allows creators to recapture old copyrights after a long period of time. If the heirs' bid is successful, they could license out the properties to Hollywood studios without Marvel's permission.

"The notices involved are an attempt to terminate rights seven to ten years from now and involve claims fully considered in the acquisition," said a spokesperson for Marvel owners Disney.

It is thought that the Kirby children could acquire the rights to Marvel characters by 2014.

Rival publisher DC Comics is also embroiled in a legal dispute, with the heirs of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel recently reclaiming limited rights to the character.