According to Reuters, Gary Friedrich, the co-creator of Ghost Rider, has filed suit against Marvel Enterprises, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Hasbro and Take-Two Interactive accusing the companies of 21 violations in conjunction with the 'unauthorized' production of the recent Ghost Rider movie and related merchandise.  In addition to copyright infringement, Friedrich accuses Marvel of failing 'to properly utilize and capitalize' on the Ghost Rider character.

According to Friedrich, he created the character of Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider in 1968, but did cede the rights to Stan Lee's Magazine Management in the early 1970s when Marvel published the first Ghost Rider comic.  Friedrich contends that Marvel never properly registered the character and that the rights reverted to him in 2001.

Roy Thomas and Mike Ploog, who both had a hand in the creation and design of the Ghost Rider character, dispute some aspects of Friedrich's claim to the character, which could add another layer of complication to the litigation.