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Second verse, same as the first — almost. For the second time in a row, a U.S. judge has declined to prevent the international rollout of DC Studios’ Superman over copyright concerns on the part of the family of one of the characters' co-creators… although larger questions surrounding Superman’s ownership outside of the United States remain open, for now.

As per legal journalist Eriq Gardner in Puck’s What I’m Hearing newsletter, New York State Judge Robert Reed has dismissed the second attempt by the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster to halt the release of the movie in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada, writing that the lawsuit failed to make a sufficient argument to pull the release.

The request centered around the idea that DC and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery no longer held the rights to Superman in those four territories, due to the way that copyright law worked in each country. Under local copyright law, according to the Shuster estate’s argument, rights would have reverted to the estate in 2017 (2021 in Canada), due to Joe Shuster’s death in 1992. Therefore, their argument goes, Warner Bros. and DC couldn’t release a Superman movie without their say-so.

Judge Reed’s dismissal of the attempt to block release is the second time a U.S. court has refused to grant the Siegel estate’s request; an earlier filing in U.S. federal court was dismissed in April, citing a lack of jurisdiction.

Notably, Gardner writes that the case remains active in the New York State court, meaning that Reed has only declined to issue an injunction to halt the movie’s international release, as opposed to dismissing the argument over international ownership entirely. The battle continues — and is likely to continue to do so until January 1, 2034, the date when Superman officially falls into the public domain in the United States.

Superman releases in the United States July 11.

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