According to this thread at NewsArama, Marvel and DC jointly own a trademark on the term “super-hero” and forced “Super Hero Happy Hour” publisher Geek Punk to change the name of its comic (they just dropped the “Super” so the title is just “Hero Happy Hour”).
According to creator Dan Taylor, “The decision to change the title was brought upon by the fact that we received a letter from the trademark counsel to ‘the two big comic book companies’ claiming that they are the joint owners of the trademark ‘SUPER HEROES’ and variations thereof.”
Hero Happy Hour officially premiered under its original title in January 2003 to favorable reviews by critics and garnered a loyal fan base that continues to grow with the release of each issue. “I want to assure our regular readers that the comic will continue to be published and will contain the same unique and humorous take on the genre we are all fans of,” says Dan Taylor. “If this means that we have to make a change in the title of our book in order for us, the guys struggling in the minor leagues, to be able play ball in the same park with the major leaguers, so be it.”
This isn’t the first odd comic-related trademark. Apparently in the 1980s Marvel trademarked the term “mutants” for the marketing of comic books in the 1980s.
Source:
Super Hero Happy Hour Changes Name. Newsarama.Com, January 30, 2004.