( CNN ) -- Step lively Watson , there 's a mystery afoot at the Supreme Court -- and the estate of Sherlock Holmes ' creator says only the nine justices can ultimately solve the Case of the Contested Copyright . The estate of the late British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has asked the high court to block a California writer from moving ahead with plans to publish a new series of stories featuring the celebrated fictional detective and his friend Dr. Watson . A federal appeals court in Chicago last month ruled in favor of California-based editor and lawyer Leslie Klinger , saying he did not have to pay royalty fees to the Conan Doyle estate , over his plans to publish a new volume of Holmes stories penned by contemporary authors . The estate then asked the high court to delay enforcement of the appeals court ruling , at least temporarily , until its legal team could prepare a more detailed petition for the justices to hear their case . There was no indication when the court would rule . The nine-member bench is on a three-month recess , but is available to handle these time-sensitive matters . Conan Doyle created one of the most famous and enduring characters in fiction , with four novels and 56 short stories published from 1887 to 1927 . The final 10 stories remain under copyright protection in the United States until 2022 , while the rest are in the public domain . In their high court claim , the estate asserts Holmes and Watson `` were not static but are dynamic literary characters who changed and developed throughout the Sherlock Holmes canon . '' Their lawyers say that means the adventures of the fictional friends from decades ago can not be appropriated today , based on older Conan Doyle works that are in the public domain . `` Many aspects of these characters ' natures are not revealed until the final 10 stories , which are still under copyright protection '' say the estate 's lawyers . `` The 10 stories are not set exclusively in the characters ' old age but at various points throughout the characters ' lives . '' The financial stakes remain lucrative . The estate says the Holmes character has been portrayed in more than 200 films , and that it has a financial and creative interest in ensuring the detective `` is not despoiled in a way that would irreparably damage the value of the Sherlock Holmes copyright . '' Klinger had earlier paid a $ 5,000 licensing fee to the estate in 2011 for an initial work of re-imagined Holmes stories called `` A Study in Sherlock . '' But he refused to pay a fee for a planned November sequel , `` In the Company of Sherlock Holmes . '' Klinger 's publisher , Pegasus Books , is supporting him in court . Klinger 's website describes him as `` one of the world 's foremost authorities on Sherlock Holmes and Dracula . '' In his blog , he dismisses the appeal to the Supreme Court . `` The 7th Circuit [ federal appeals court ] ruled on June 22 in our favor , finding that creators were free to use the characters of Holmes , Watson , etc. , so long as the creators did not infringe on the 'protected elements ' in the remaining 10 copyrighted stories , '' said Klinger . `` Clearly , the characters ' names and most of their characteristics are not such 'protected elements . ' Thus , to put it very loosely , Sherlock Holmes is 'free . ' '' The case is Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. v. Klinger ( 14a47 ) . 'To Kill a Mockingbird ' novelist sues over trademark .
Sherlock Holmes was fictional , but he lives on in novels and short stories . Comment: A California writer wants to publish a new series of Holmes stories . The Conan Doyle estate wants the U.S. Supreme Court to solve the case .