‘Holy Copyright Law, Batman!’ Hilarious Legal Ruling
By Skip Harvey
DC Entertainment has been in a multiple year legal dispute over the Batmobile. Did you know that? I didn’t, but it’s true. And the ruling is HILARIOUS.
California replica car maker Mark Towle of Gotham Garage has been cranking out reproductions of the famous car from Batman ’66 for some time now and the WB/DC legal department wasn’t too happy. Originally suing back in 2011, the copyright infringement case has been tied up in the appeals process for an achingly long time. Until now.
Yesterday Judge Sandra Ikuta upheld the initial 2013 decision by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lew y ruling ‘The panel held that the defendant’s replica cars infringed on DC Comics’ copyrights’. Judge Ikuta came off like a total fangirl in her decision and you HAVE to respect that. These are real quotes.
"Holy copyright law, Batman!...In addition to Batman, Robin, and the use of visual onomatopoeia that flashed on screen during fight scenes—Pow! Boff! Thwack!—the television series featured the Batmobile. The design of the Batmobile did not directly copy any iterations of the Batmobile as it appeared in the comic books. As in the comic books, however, the Batmobile in the 1966 television show maintained a bat-like appearance and was equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and technology.Towle concedes that these replicas copy the designs of the Batmobile as depicted on television and in the motion picture, though they do not copy every feature. Towle then sells these vehicles for approximately $90,000 to “avid car collectors” who “know the entire history of the Batmobile.” Towle also sells kits that allow customers to modify their cars to look like the Batmobile, as it appeared in the 1966 television show and the 1989 motion picture.To the Batmobile!"
It’s not your typical dry legal document. Yes, it’s a bit long and full of jargon, but it’s actually pretty hilarious in parts. You can read it right here.
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Via: deadline.com
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Even after the $90,000 asking price, Towle still pulled down a $200,000 profit off of the efforts, but that’s officially over now.
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