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| US federal court in Los Angeles has ruled that Smallville, about the life of the young Clark Kent/Superman, may infringe on the copyrights held by the widow and daughter of Superboy creator Jerome Siegel. The trade newspaper Variety reported that the March 23 judgment found that Siegel's widow Joanne and daughter Laura had successfully secured the Superboy rights as of Nov 17, 2004. The report added that the ruling now casts doubt on the ownership of Smallville episodes broadcast after that date. It said the judge also turned down a request by defendants Time Warner, Warner Bros and DC Comics for a ruling that the series does not infringe on the Superboy copyrights. Warner Bros said it "respectfully disagrees" with the rulings and will appeal. The actual question of whether or not the series actually does infringe on the Superboy copyright remains to be answered. No trial date has been set yet. |