Bam! Batmobile Wins Copyright Protection

Copyright infringement is no joke, but justice has been served. Literally. Things are looking up for DC Comics who won a court decision earlier this week.The Batmobile was deemed a character based on traits, and a few other assets. In the lawsuit, the Batmobile was likened to an actual character. Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta gave the final decision in an appeals court earlier this week.

DC Comics found itself in the middle of a copyright and publishing rights lawsuit against a replica business. Gotham Garage, specialized in replicating the Batmobile, Mach 5 and more.

See television series in the trailer below:

[gap height=”15″]Not surprisingly, the news came out in favor of Batman’s creator company. An appeal court judge ruled that the Batmobile was unique, or distinctive, enough to be considered an actual character of the 1960’s popular television show, starring Adam West. The appeal court rejected claims that DC Comics did not have a copyright interest in the Batmobile. Therefore, the company would be held responsible for infringing upon DC Comics’ publishing and copyright interests. DC Comics, Inc is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment, a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. DC Comics is responsible for successful comic book franchises such as, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow.

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A company named, Mark Towle’s Gotham Garage, was on the short end of the dispute. Towle’s offered a specialty service in creating replicas of the Batmobile based on the 1960 television series. The replicas reportedly sold for roughly $90,000. Other replicas were inspired by the 1989, Tim Burton directed, Batman movie starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson.

See the 1989 classic trailer below:

[gap height=”15″]DC Comics shared the Joker’s smile as Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta passed the final ruling this week.

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“In addition to its status as Batman’s loyal bat-themed sidekick complete with the character traits and physical characteristics described above…It is not merely a stock character.” said Ikuta.

DC Comics came out on top with a healthy serving of justice. Copyright claims and publishing rights come with the territory for content creators. Would you consider the Batmobile to be an actual character? Let us know in the comments below.