October 23, 2024: Good News: You Can Be A Super Hero!

No, we can't help you with the logistics of acquiring strange powers or launching an orbital satellite to patrol the planet. But if you've taken care of those minor details, then the last hurdle you faced has been overcome: You can now call yourself a super hero. Because, according to an article on IGN, Marvel and DC have lost their joint trademark on the term "super hero."

Per Bleeding Cool, the two comic publishers first co-claimed the trademark in 1977, and it was granted a couple of years later. (This is one reason that a lot of non-mainstream comic and RPG efforts refer to them as "metahumans," "supers," and so on . . . especially in titles.) But the trademark was invalidated by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, part of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

So, if that's all that's been holding you back from a life of super-heroism, then please feel free to update your business cards!

-- Steven Marsh