A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Warner Bros. and DC Comics -- both units of Time Warner -- did not engage in a sweetheart deal when the studio paid the comic-book company $13.6 million for rights to produce Superman Returns in 2006. Heirs to the estate of Superman co-creator Jerome Siegel had accused the two sibling companies of making numerous sweetheart deals, including one for the TV series Smallville in 2000. However, U.S. Judge District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson ruled that there was "insufficient evidence that the Superman film agreement between DC Comics and Warner Bros., whether judged by its direct economic terms or its indirect ones, was consummated at below its fair market value."