Old news, but there were definitely rights involved with the character, though he seemed to be mostly a Marvel creation:

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=62447

There's also this:


I have that graphic novel and it's okay, but not as much fun as the Marvel series. It doesn't use any of the Marvel supporting cast and the characterization of the Fly isn't the same (he kills people for instance). True, the Marvel series wasn't a classic but it was fun and it'd be nice to see it collected in a tpb. Not gonna happen though...