Hollywood and the media, especially Hollywood, have a monopoly over intellectual property (IP) that is produced for public consumption. Artists and writers rarely have ownership of the characters and are often limited in their control over what merchandise and content is presented. In the same way, fans and viewers rarely have control over how the stories are presented to them by their favorite franchises.

Consider Marvel comics as an example. Many of Marvel’s best-known characters are the result of comic book artists such as Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby (NYSE :). Stan Lee was, however, the final victim. SuingMarvel claimed that he wasn’t entitled to a share of the profits in 2002. He’s not the only one. At the moment, Disney’s Marvel is Steve Ditko’s family estate AreIn a legal dispute over who has full ownership of many Avengers-related characters.