Basically, my book's name will be "A Deadbeat's Guide To Becoming A Hero". In one part of the story, my superhero deals with copyright infringement for his use of a copyrighted term for his superhero name, and I thought it'd be a cool addition to have "super" on the cover (but NOT the actual title) crossed-out in reference to that part of my story. Superhero is owned by Marvel and DC, and they DO sue often, from what my research tells me. But would this technically be copyright infringement? It's not the technical name, and it would be crossed-out. But the book IS about a superhero.
Wikipedia says that Marvel/DC have never sued over their "Super Hero" or "Super Heroes" trademark (not copyright). They might not win if they did, and I'm not sure "superhero" (as one word) is covered by those trademarks anyway. But I'm not a trademark attorney, so I advise talking to one if you're worried about it. Or fire off a polite query to Marvel and DC and see what that gets you. Maybe nothing, but it only costs you a few minutes and less than a buck.
