Post by webdevil on Mar 6, 2024 23:23:10 GMT -7
"You want to what?"
Matt Murdock might have had enhanced senses and could anticipate that the person he was speaking to was tense and going to drop a bombshell, but this was far beyond what he was expecting.
"You heard me, Matt. I know you did," said a rather serious tone. Its owner, across the desk, sitting in the guest chair was one Peter Parker. Peter's jaw was set, his eyes blazing with intensity (not that Matt, who was otherwise blind despite his other enhanced senses and gifted Radar that compensated for this handicap , could see this).
Matt paused to make sure nobody behind his closed door had their heads turned to continue listening in, before he laced his fingers together and reset himself.
"So let me get this straight: After all these years of slander, ridicule, and yellow journalism from Jonah Jameson - not to mention all the unlicensed plushies on the market - -" said Matt.
"- - and bad automobile licenses," chimed in Peter. Matt's face broke into a small smirk.
" - - and bad automobile licenses, you finally want to have the identity of Spider-Man trademarked?"
Peter nodded. Matt raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.
"Who would the copyright go to? Your wife? She owns the license to your merchandise after those plushies flooded the market," he asked.
"No. Too close to me. The merchandise might work fine as a cover when there was only one Spider-Man to give the blessing to the Parkers so it goes along with Peter Parker's photography books of the webslinger, but the actual identity? I might as well be wearing a neon sign," said Peter, furrowing his brow a bit.
"Then who?" asked Matt.
Peter slumped back into his chair. It was not the most comfortable chair, Peter realized, which must have been a deliberate choice on the blind lawyer's part. An odd one given his enhanced senses, he thought.
"I don't know. It's not like you can file trademark for Daredevil's identity, can you?"
Matt quirked an eyebrow.
"Daredevil is trademarked, Peter,"
Peter sat up straight.
"Come again?"
Matt smiled.
"Yes. I had it filed through Jennifer Walters when she was still working with the Fantastic Four shortly after Bullseye went around masquerading as me years ago. After Nelson and Murdock re-opened, I had the copyright transferred here to the firm because, in actual legal proceedings, Nelson and Murdock is Daredevil's lawyer."
"What about that civil trial you had me pretending to be you in?" asked Peter. It was true, Matt had asked Peter to stand-in as Daredevil for a court trial when Matt was being sued by some bigwig and Matt had to be the man's lawyer. It was a moment that made Peter not envy Matt's life.
"That came after," explained Matt.
"Oh,"
"Yeah. So any infringement stands to gain the firm a sizeable windfall," said Matt with a touch of asperity.
"What about all those fake Daredevils running around?" asked Peter. Matt frowned.
"If I had evidence who was organizing those little gangs, there would already be lawsuits filed and dates placed. But this isn't about me, is it?" the blind lawyer asked shrewdly.
"In part..." said Peter, but he hesitated.
"Peter..."
"Okay, no. But let's be fair: seeing what's happening with you only reinforces why I should," said Peter, hands up.
"Fair enough," replied Matt and began running his hand down the drawers on the side of his desk looking for the right braille documents.
"Copyrighting a costumed identity is not necessarily difficult - I can have Foggy be the signee for it - but it *is* a long and tedious process. And I have to warn you: Even *if* this goes through, we're still unregistered vigilantes in the eyes of the law. So until the SRA gets repealed, any attempts by "Spider-Man" to try and sue the pretenders for damages and recovery will 1. Be on hold, and 2. Will not be private or necessarily popular," he explained as he found the right folder and pulled it out, a relatively modest folder at that.
"Since when has Spider-Man done anything popular..." replied Peter darkly, opening the folder and taking a pen.
Despite being blind, eyes no longer working, Matt Murdock could not help but feel a great swell of pity and sadness for his friend and fellow crimefighter. True, Daredevil didn't always get the best press coverage, but he also had the cloak of being not as known or as reputable outside of Hell's Kitchen. He dealt with the real dirt of the underworld, where Peter took the slings and arrows from all corners if it meant stopping a madman on a glider or nuclear bombs from detonating undernath the city thanks to alien symbiotes. It was not something he himself enjoyed facing and something he admired in the younger man. The idea others would take that mantle up without any given thought as to what that reputation, or even the wishes of the person they are trying to emulate would be... No, that he understood.
God have mercy on his soul...
- FIN -
