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ARTICLE · 05 AUGUST 2026

With Great IP Comes Great Responsibility

Marks & Clerk
Marks & Clerk
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Marks & Clerk

Marks & Clerk

Marks & Clerk LLP was founded in 1887 by George Croydon Marks, who was joined in partnership by...

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Sony's leaked 2014 agreement with Marvel reveals strict contractual obligations requiring regular Spider-Man content production to retain IP rights, demonstrating the strategic power of performance-based licensing terms. The document exposes how Marvel maintained creative control and exclusivity windows despite selling the film rights, offering insights into high-stakes intellectual property negotiations in the entertainment industry.

United KingdomIntellectual Property
Megan Rannard
Megan Rannard
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“Brand New Day” was (in my humble opinion as a longtime Marvel fan) a solid addition to the cinematic universe. It is the fourth standalone Spider-Man movie featuring Tom Holland and follows stints by both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero, as well as the two animated Spider-Verse films. Since 2002, there have been 11 standalone Spider-Man movies, which is more than any other individual Marvel character. 

As many fellow Marvel fans will know, the film and television rights to Spider-Man were acquired by Sony from Marvel back in 1998. A document leaked in 2014 following the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment explains the reason why there have been so many iterations of Spider-Man over the years.

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