Toy company sues Stan Lee, Archie Comics

A toy manufacturer has filed a lawsuit against Stan Lee and a host of related companies.

Super7 has accused Lee's company POW! Entertainment, Archie Comics and A Squared Entertainment of pushing ahead with their new Super Seven property after acknowledging the potential trademark violation and promising that they would not, reports Robot 6.

Super7 claims that its attorney contacted the companies involved in March to point out the danger of confusion between the two names and were told that they had "decided to move in a different direction and are in the process of developing another mark for their products".

The plaintiff said nothing more was heard on the matter until the announcement at Comic-Con that Super Seven would launch later this year.

Super7 are demanding compensation, an end to the use of the trademark by the defendants and the destruction of all material bearing the Super Seven and Stan Lee and the Super Seven names.

Super Seven is a planned comics, animation and online property about seven aliens who become superheroes after finding themselves stranded on Earth and befriended by Lee.