Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. is an American

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the Security (finance), securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own Share ...

founded in 1923 by author

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American writer, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best known for creating the characters Tarzan (who appeared in ...

. It is based in Tarzana, California. The company holds the rights to the literary estate of Burroughs that are still protected by copyright (a number of Burroughs' early works have passed out of copyright and consequently are in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

). Burroughs was one of the first artists to incorporate, which he did for tax reasons and for more control over his works. Burroughs' books were published through the company from 1931 ('' Tarzan the Invincible'') through 1948 ('' Llana of Gathol''), with one additional title ('' I Am a Barbarian'') appearing in 1967. The company remains in the ownership of the Burroughs family and manages and licenses Burroughs' works and characters, including

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

and John Carter of Mars. In most of the world, the original work of Burroughs is now in the public domain.

Legal actions

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. has been involved in numerous legal actions over the years, even in cases where copyright on Burroughs' original work had expired. The company successfully sued Gold Star Books in 1966 and forced the Tarzan series of books by Barton Werper to be taken off the market. In 2004, the company threatened Victoria University Press with a lawsuit over author Nigel Cox's book '' Tarzan Presley'', which blended the Tarzan mythos with the life of Elvis Presley. The book has not been reprinted since its initial publication. In 2012, the company sued Dynamite Comics for trademark infringement. Dynamite's series ''Lord of the Jungle'' and ''Warlord of Mars'' were based on Burroughs' novels that had entered public domain. However, ERB claimed that use of trademarked characters Tarzan and John Carter constituted infringement and unfair competition. Dynamite and ERB settled the claim in 2014, and signed a contract to clear the way for both series to continue.

Authorized editions

Starting in 2020, ERB, Inc. will be re-printing the complete literary works of Burroughs, accompanied by new artwork created by Joe Jusko, in hardcover format.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Edgar Rice Burroughs Entertainment companies based in California Mass media companies of the United States Companies based in Los Angeles Tarzana, Los Angeles American companies established in 1923 Mass media companies established in 1923 Publishing companies established in 1923 1923 establishments in California