A judge in LA has ruled that the heirs of Jerry Siegel are entitled to a share of the U.S. copyright to Superman, the iconic superhero Siegel created with Joe Shuster 70 years ago and then promptly sold to DC for $130.

Nobody seems to know what this means quite yet beyond more litigation.

If the ruling survives a Time Warner legal challenge, it may also open the door to a similar reversion of rights to the estate of Mr. Shuster in 2013. That would give heirs of the two creators control over use of their lucrative character until at least 2033 — and perhaps longer, if Congress once again extends copyright terms — according to Marc Toberoff, a lawyer who represents the Siegels and the Shuster estate.

“It would be very powerful,” said Mr. Toberoff, speaking by telephone on Friday. “After 2013, Time Warner couldn’t exploit any new Superman-derived works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters.”

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