"Super-Hero" -- where did this term first appear?

[TELLE]

A great start!

WWI would be trhe perfect place to look for these Superman progenitors.

[Great Rao]

If the stories are true that DC and Marvel have jointly filed trademark on the term "Superhero," I don't see why Condé Naste can't show prior use with The Shadow's stories and advertisements.

[Aldous]

Just glancing at historic papers....

Searched "superhero" ----

I have 2 articles from May 1, 1922, headlining;
"Super-hero is honored: Another medal added to his collection"
"Third super-hero of war revealed"

Searched "super-hero" ----

"Comes home super-hero" Feb 14, 1919
"Proud Bride of War's Super-Hero" June 12, 1919

Well, I'll be...

They've certainly got the jump on Superman, and it's more in keeping with what I think was the interpretation of Permanus.

[Aldous]

If the stories are true that DC and Marvel have jointly filed trademark on the term "Superhero," I don't see why Condé Naste can't show prior use with The Shadow's stories and advertisements.

Who or what is Condé Naste?

I don't suppose "prior use" counts for much, in the United States anyway, as far as trademarks and copyrights are concerned. Look at what happened to the Big Red Cheese.

[Permanus]

Conde Nast publish all sorts of magazines and own the copyright for The Shadow and (I think) Doc Savage and The Avenger. You're probably right about "prior use"; it tends not to signify much in copyright terms - I used to work in copyright in dramatic works and it's surprising how often the copyright for a title belongs to someone who adapted a previous work for the stage, for instance.

[ProfPotter]

Do DC and Marvel hold a US trademark on the term Super Hero?  Answer: Yes.  It was awarded to them in 1981, and was last renewed in 2002.  See Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed.

Remember that, unlike Copyrights, Trademarks expire relatively quickly (8 or 10 years, I believe) unless renewed, and someone else can apply for a trademark that used to be registered to someone else if it is not currently in effect (which is what happened to Captain Marvel).

The only thing that can't be trademarked are generic terms, or trade names that have become generic instead of specific.  One could argue that Super Hero was such a term, but apparently nobody fought it at the time of the original trademark application (filed in July 1979, published in June 1981, and approved in November 1981).