Marvel demands $17,000 in 'Ghost Rider' counterclaim

Ghost Rider co-creator Gary Friedrich has been hit by a $17,000 (£10,000) counterclaim from Marvel Comics.

Following Friedrich's unsuccessful legal bid to win back the rights to the property, a court has ruled that the creator owes the publisher the five-figure sum because he sold prints of the character at conventions and other events.

The ruling also prohibits Friedrich from using Ghost Rider as a trademark, his lawyer Charles S. Kramer informed Digital Spy. The attorney went on to say that the case is "not over" as an appeal is in the pipeline.

"The case is not over, as it is the intention of Gary and the company he formed for his convention appearances and sales to appeal the Court's ruling, which we respectively believe to be wholly in error," he said.

"Notably, the ruling was not based on a holding that Gary was not the author and creator of the characters and comic, but rather on a holding that he transferred his rights - for no payment whatsoever - to a predecessor of Marvel long after (in 1978). We believe that ruling is not accurate and intend to appeal."

Friedrich created Ghost Rider, originally illustrated by artist Mike Ploog, in 1972 with the assistance of Roy Thomas. The supernatural anti-hero went on to star in several comic series, and will make his second big screen appearance this month in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

Watch a trailer for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance below: