What it was: Everybody loves Tintin. The intrepid youth reporter created by Belgian artist Herge reached an international audience thanks to the collected volumes of the comic, the animated series that aired during the early nineties, and Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson's joint effort to bring him to the big screen using motion capture in 2011. Moulinsart, the entity which owns all the rights to Tintin, is less eager about a huge audience. Its owners have repeatedly blocked kid-friendly merchandise and reprints in favour of keeping the character chic and pricey, and regularly sue fan zines and academic books about Tintin. Until they tried it and found they don't actually own the rights after all. What it changed: Nobody knows for sure at time of writing, but it's suggested that Moulinsart losing the rights to Tintin could change a lot of things. Namely, the character will be merchandised out a lot more than he already is, that the original books might be republished more widely, and fan works based on him will not immediately be sued.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
