Buckley and Quesada respond to the Ghost Rider lawsuit

For the last week the comics community has been astir with several lawsuits. The ruling against Gary Freidrich is his lawsuit against Marvel over ownership of the Ghost Rider character has hit hard. And as such the online debate about this ruling, along with the $17,000 in damages he must pay to Marvel as a result of the lawsuit has been very emotional.

This evening Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley and Chief Creative Office Joe Quesada addressed many of the rumors, comments and misinformation in an interview with Comic Book Resources. Here are some excerpts:

In regards to the $17,000 in damages that Freidrich has to pay Marvel:

QUESADA: "This story begins in 2007, when Gary decided to sue Marvel claiming that, as a writer, he was the sole creator of Ghost Rider and that Marvel was infringing on his rights. A federal judge disagreed. Recently, Gary's lawyers have said publicly that they intend to appeal their loss, and that ball is now in their court.

Now, here's where the story seems to take on a life of its own. First and foremost, Marvel has not settled with Gary. What has been misinterpreted as a settlement is a court document that Gary's very own attorneys agreed to, along with Marvel's attorneys. That document basically ends his lawsuit against Marvel at the trial court level with Marvel having won and Gary's case dismissed. By agreeing on a number for the profits Gary made from selling unlicensed Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider merchandise after the court has decided that Marvel is the owner of that copyright, it allows Gary's attorneys to file his appeal now rather than have Gary litigate further. It is in no way a "fine" or "punishment" for Gary. It is something that the court asked both parties to do and agree upon. This is one more step in an expensive and time-consuming legal process initiated way back in 2007."

On the question of who created Ghost Rider, a claim that Freidrich takes sole credit for and initiated the lawsuits and counter-suits between parties:

QUESADA: "From the Marvel side of things, we absolutely agree that Gary made a significant contribution to the creation of Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider. That has never been under contention. But Gary didn't do it alone. Mike Ploog, the original artist, was a co-creator. Other people contributed as well, including Roy Thomas and Stan Lee. There were many individuals present at the time of Johnny Blaze's creation who disagree with the claim that Gary was the sole creator. And keep in mind, there was a previous Marvel Western character called Ghost Rider."

And on the questions of a possible change in Marvel's policies toward conventions and artists' selling prints, commission and other artworks featuring Marvel characters:

Buckley: We in no way want to interfere with creators at conventions who are providing a positive Marvel experience for our fans. We want fans to speak and interact with the creators who wrote, penciled, inked, lettered, colored or edited their favorite stories. Part of that positive interaction is that a fan can walk away with a signed memento or personalized sketch from an artist.

To read the full interview on Comic Book Resources please click THIS LINK.