Fry & Leela copyright to...?

[on:]

This is starting to bug me. Who's the best person/entity to list the Futurama characters copyright to? Does Matt Groening still own the characters? Or is it the Curiosity Company? Or even Fox Corp?

I usually put '© Fox' in my artwork... but I saw something recently about MG still owning the characters. Who's correct?

[Reply #1 on:]

Why not just not put it on your artwork?

[Reply #2 on:]

I don't really know. Just usually I say "property/creation of Matt Groening" in my disclaimers - I don't mention FOX at all, out of principle. Because I'm edgy!

[Reply #3 on:]

I'm edgier, I don't mention anyone but myself!

[Reply #4 on:]

It's true. Sometimes he even writes it in binary.

[Reply #5 on:]

Well, good on ya, Freako. But I'm more pedantic than you are. And I've been putting copyright notices on my art for the past 15 years, sort it's sort of habitual as well.

[Reply #6 on:]

I know, just print the entire show's credits over your images, that way everyone's covered just in case!

[Reply #7 on:]

As of 2002, the legal position looks to have been that *"Fox (Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corporation) is the exclusive owner of all rights to the world-famous "Futurama" television series and related copyrights, trademarks, and indicia of origin"; whether or not recent deals have amended that status, I 'unno!

I'd keep it the same unless there's some new info.

Ole-timey Marcus (remembering back when Fox sent C&D letters to x-toon (and regular) servers, website owners, and individual fan artists).

*quote from an old C&D letter to TLZ, http://www.chillingeffects.org/fanfic/notice.cgi?NoticeID=210