Let's talk creator-ownership.
Someone creates something, they own it.
Let's skip over the sordid story of Siegel and Shuster and the creation of Superman. Skip over the endless list of creations before and after that one which were signed over to the publisher lock, stock, and barrel because the writer or artist had to pay the rent and put food on the table. And proceeded to create their own. I don't know exactly when Spawn became the property of Todd McFarlane Productions instead of just Todd McFarlane. Or Wildcats the property of Wildstorm Studios instead of Jim Lee and Brandon Choi.