Who owns the rights to the Atlas/Seaboard characters ?

[theVisitor]

I have received many inquires thru The Atlas Archives concering the rights to the Atlas Seaboard characters.

 

Rumor has it the rights belong to Swank Magazine, as this was the only Seaboard Periodicals publication to continue after the comic book line folded. I have had little success trying to contact Swank Magazine regarding this issue.

 

With the 30th anniversary of this line fast approaching, I would like to like to know for certain who (if anyone) owns the rights to these characters. I will post any defintive information on the site.

 

Would anyone with experience with copyrights/trademarks care to comment ?

 

Please contact me at phil@atlasarchives.com if you have any information.

 

Thanks

 

 

[mcd-migration]

Love the site!! I have a hard time passing up any of these issues when I find them in the bargain bins...I've got so many multiples it's sick. Although the last month of books is pretty tough to find...relatively speaking.

 

What's the number of years til the go into the public domain? I was thinking 25, but that seems kind of short, maybe 50?

[joe_collector]

Actually, it goes on forever these days, as Disney is constantly in peril of losing their old movies and pays Congress to keep extending the date. Used to be 50 years, then 75 and I believe they just extended it to 85 or 100.

 

In 10 years, they'll extend it to 150 years, and nothing will likely enter the public domain ever again. Great deal for consumers, which was who the laws were intended to protect, in return for exclusive use for a limited period.

[Aman619]

I believe the new extended limit (and all copyright/trademark law limits) only applies to work that is continuously published. If anyone can show that a character etc has been abandoned (by its owners) they can be published by third parties freely. Im obviously not clear on the details, but many books, movies etc entered the public domain in this fashion.

[shadroch]

Outstanding web site. These books own a special place in my collecting memerories as they came out at just the right time. Kudos.

[awe4one]

Don't some of creators own their characters? I seem to recall that Chaykin fought for his ownership of the Scorpion after the line folded (as was agreed upon per his side of the story). Also, the Grim Ghost latered appeared in Marvel comics when his creator (whose name escapes me at the moment) started working there.

 

 

Jim

[PovertyRow]

Can't help with the info you need but have to say your website is pretty much what I think of as a perfectly designed site. Looks good but everything in it is direct with no extraneous clutter. TONS of information and extremely well thought out. Gotta love it!

[fazman]

" Swank Magazine " Isn't that a XXX Mag ?

[Zonker]

CBA article on Martin Goodman and Atlas/Seaboard

 

Check this out for

 

1. ownership (I interpret the above link to say the original creators always owned the characters as an incentive to come work for Atlas/Seaboard)

 

2. what the porn mag Swank has to do with Atlas/Seaboard

 

3. more on the gamesmanship between Martin Goodman and Carmine Infantino regarding the 15 cent / 25 cent / 20 cent format changes in the early 1970s. This source indicates it was Marvel's quick move back from 25 cents to 20 cents that sealed DC's fate to be Number 2 for at least the next decade. (We speculated on this one on another thread several months ago).

 

Cheers,

Z.

[awe4one]

1. ownership (I interpret the above link to say the original creators always owned the characters as an incentive to come work for Atlas/Seaboard)

 

I thought I read that as well somewhere but for the life of me I couldn't remember where. Also would explain the appearance of the Grim Ghost in the Marvel universe.

 

2. what the porn mag Swank has to do with Atlas/Seaboard

 

Goodman's son ran the magazine after Atlas/Seaboard folded. I believe it was owned by Martin and started in conjunction with the comics line.

 

3. more on the gamesmanship between Martin Goodman and Carmine Infantino regarding the 15 cent / 25 cent / 20 cent format changes in the early 1970s. This source indicates it was Marvel's quick move back from 25 cents to 20 cents that sealed DC's fate to be Number 2 for at least the next decade. (We speculated on this one on another thread several months ago).

 

From the gist of the article, it was a very smooth move by Goodman that DC never would recover from. Very sly and admirable business move on his part.

 

 

Jim

[mcd-migration]

Also would explain the appearance of the Grim Ghost in the Marvel universe.

 

I think you may be refering to Rich Buckler's Demon Slayer, who went to Marvel & became the Devil Slayer in a Marvel Spotlight appearance followed by a spot in the Defenders. I can't place where Ernie Colon's Grim Ghost would have appeared.

[theVisitor]

To the best of my knowledge, only 2 Atlas/Seaboard characters appeared after the line folded. Howard Chaykin's Scorpion re-appeared as Dominic Fortune over at Marvel. They are basically the same characters.

 

Rich Buckler's Demon-Hunter morphed into Devil-Slayer (Marvel) and then Bloodwing (Galaxia Magazine, published by Buckler).

 

There is a Grim Ghost (formerly the Gay Ghost)that first appeared in Sensation Comics # 1. He re-appeared in Animal Man 25 back in 1990.

 

Gay Ghost/Grim Ghost

 

Other than that, none of these characters have seen the light of day for almost 30 years.

 

Thanks to all for the info and kind words on the Web site !

[awe4one]

I think you may be refering to Rich Buckler's Demon Slayer, who went to Marvel & became the Devil Slayer in a Marvel Spotlight appearance followed by a spot in the Defenders. I can't place where Ernie Colon's Grim Ghost would have appeared.

 

You are correct! My mistake...I knew it was Buckler's character but got the name confused.

 

 

Jim