Batman sues Batman over Batman

~blinks~

... Goes back and reads the story again. ~blinks~ Umm ok, I think they win the prize for the most obvious money/publicity grab disguised as a law suit ever.

Mine's the one with cape and utility belt in the pocket.

Free Advertising...

Someone should tell this guy free advertising is a good thing. I hope he can prove his city existed before the 1960's when "Batman" became a WB trademark. I'm not sure if the actual comic was before that or after that.

Too little, too late...

As Hoover, Kleenex, and others found out, if you haven't defended your trademark in the past seventy years, it's too late to start now.

OTOH, I wouldn't be surprised if Warners, in a gesture of international chumship doesn't offer them a community recreation center or something as a thank you for keeping their property in the news and potentially boosting DVD sales -- what with the holidays coming up, and all!

I was Monty's batman

They can go fly!

Mine's the one with the daytime TV "How to earn millions from IP" in the pocket.

@TJ

Umm yes it did exist before that...early 1939 IIRC

On a side note the real Clark Kent proved he couldnt stop bullets (that was kinda messy) and has since issued suit against DC for making him grow up without friends or a woman and making him believe he could do that. He is suing for medical pain and suffering as well as negligence. Looking for <dr evil voice> 1 BILLION DOLLARS </dr evil voice>

Oh I will enjoy following this one.

/mines the one with the cowl with long cap attached

Biff! Kapow! Bang! Zop!

Holy batshite Batman, they've found the hidden Batcave. Alfred, time to pickup sticks and move on.......

What, are you stupid?

Are you retarded or something? I'M the god-damn Batman!

Melbourne, Australia

They didn't teach us much in school about our history but I'm fairly certain that a chap called John Batman found or founded Melbourne. At one stage the name Batmania was considered. Why it never got chosen I don't know.

Oh and there's a railway station called Batman too. I was very disappointed as a child to find out it was just a station. I'd imagined all kinds of subterranial things!

@No Wait AC

I'm Batman and so is my wife.

Their's isn't the only Batman...

There is a Batman in Uzbekistan and a Båtman in Finland.

So...

Can I sue every single lawyer in the US for abusing my surname?

Is the mayor of New York getting in on this?

Just think: they could get DOUBLE royalties out of the late Frank Sinatra!

Justice

Wasn't WB the production company that harassed a little girl for running a Harry Potter fan site? They richly deserve all IP related legal trouble they get, although I'm afraid this won't fly very far in any sane court. Trademark law allows similar names for totally different things, like a small town and a movie superhero.

Silly season eh?

Perhaps we brits should sue the town of Batman for missappropriating a military title?

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/batman

Time for change

If the courts uphold the decision and force WB to change the name, I think that we may end up with a whole new batch of films....

Battyman Begins - this film depicts Battyman's early years and how he grew to like Dick......Grayson

Battyman and Robin (title pending claim from red breasted bird) - Battyman's flick with his sidekick. Also know as when Bruce met Dick

Battyman - The Dark Night - Battyman descends on Soho discovery some very strange, dark alleyways.....His main arch-rival in this film is "The Poker"....played by Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger!

Mine's the one with the the Batbelt round the waist!

What's their problem?

Batman fights crime. They have unsolved murders and girls committing suicide.

Now, if the town was called "Joker" I might understand their point.

(The icon is missing an R here ;)

Coming up...

Austin sues Austin over Austin?

They need to join forces with

...the Lesbians (citizens of Lesbos, that is) and launch a collective legal offensive against the 20th Century and all its various crimes against language. Perhaps some original Angry Pirates will also 'come aboard'; the acts committed in *their* name in recent years are even more horrific...

And then you can immortalise the epic struggle in Playmobil. Go!

I love the Leader!!

I hope Leader in SK, Canada doesn't get wind of this, otherwise the writers of The Simpsons are screwed

Turkish pipes

Holy Turkish pipe batman! Thats some good shit theyve been smoking!

Think this is easy to get thrown out though. The Turkish alphabet is slightly different from the latin one used in the west and also has different sounds.

Therefore according to wikipedia (may i be damned for eternity for citing wikipedia!) Batman would sound like: Butmun. Also not having the exact same alphabet you can argue that it is not the same word, otherwise if there was a town in Russia called Батман the same case could be argued.

What next? Sheffield in the UK suing Sheffield in the USA for having the same name?

BTW: IANAL, IANA Turk, IAN Batman

Oh to be a lawyer

....the one truly recession resistant profession.

As quick as a flash ...

So, after nearly 70 years of the comic, 40 years after at least one TV series (I'm not sure if there weren't earlier efforts), after at least 7 cinematic releases (not counting the Saturday morning serials) the town of Batman suddenly feels badly used? Just checked and I'm afraid my heart is not bleeding for them.

I'd tell them to stick their fucking lawsuit where the sun doesn't shine - except I'd probably need a license from a small village in Austria to do that. And Terry Pratchett.

@Melbourne Claim

I do hope that people make up this shite on wikipedia...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_(mass)

'A batman... It is equivalent to 1000 pood'

The pood article then contains the glorious quote:

'An old Russian proverb reads, "You never know a man until you have eaten a pood of salt with him." '

I'm going back to my SQL it's safer.

Madness??? THIS.... IS..... SPARTA!!!!!! No wait.. It's Gotham City

Absolute madness! And not the Baggy Trousers kind! If they want to claim royalties don't they have to prove that the film was made successful thanks to the city existing before the film. Or that they are in any way responsible for the revenue generated by the hit films and comic Books and merchandise, Cartoons. If they are serious about it then they will be laying claim to a chunk of everything made out of the batman name since 1939... which is a lot!

Can a city be a copyright anyway? If so Why doesn't New York ask for some cash everytime it is mentioned in a Film, TV series or the News????!!?!?!?

In fact el reg... don't you now owe them some cash for mentioning them.

It will all come to nothing

Why is it...

I can see Lagos being renamed Spiderman soon and sueing Marvel :P

I'm Batman and so is my wife.

Mine's the black leather one with the hood and the anatomically correct nipples.

Fine them for stupidity.

Idiots. Trademark infringements do not occur over disparate industries. Now, if Warner Brothers and DC had a super-hero who operated in the *town* of Batman, the Turks might have a point.

But all that aside, the fact that they did nothing for 70-odd years means they've already lost the fight.

Legal blunder-moves like that should be discouraged by severely fining the idiots who perpetrate them.

Batman is home to more than Batman!

Have a look on the map: http://www.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=37.895853,41.127663&spn=0.108641,0.22316&z=13

Want to play spot the potential law suits, I'll start with Gap.

Batmans

> then how the fuck do they explain val kilmer? or keaton, bale or clooney?

You forgot West.

Mine's the one with the Monkees logo on it.

Product categories...

Aren't trademarks specific to product categories? The city would only have a claim if Warner Bros. was taking advantage of confusion caused by the similarity?

"Oh no! It's the Joker! Quick, call Batman"

"Umm, Batman, a valet to a senior military officer?"

"No, no, not A Batman, THE Batman!"

"What, the city in Turkey? Anyone in particular? The mayor, a travel agent?"

"It's too late, the Joker has already deployed his fiendish weapon for causing comic confusion!"

Mine's the one with the rejected script in the pocket...

And thus the world...

...has gone bat-shit loco.

Paris, waiting for her lawsuit from France.

@ AC 22:32 GMT

FFS, it should be: "I'm *THE* Batman..."

GOT IT?

Settle out of court.

This could all be settled amicably over a fine dinner at a good restaurant.

That's dinner as in: "Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Dinner, Batman!", of course.

Not that I'm cynical or anything, but...

It's obvious that the town is going to lose, unless WB etc. decide to make a gesture.

HOWEVER - I wonder what would happen if someone named a new town after an 'existing'

super-hero? ...... Mega law suit from the IP owners without mercy methinks.

Paris, because I'd like to see her other side too.

El Reg Suffers Similar Situation?

What's it worth to stop me having a word with the Mayor of Register town in Georgia, USA?

@TJ

what's better than free advertising?

companies "paying" YOU for the free advertising!

also, think about this as a publicity stunt

Mine's the one with the ultrasonic-transmitting phone in the pocket

The mayor of batman should be careful...

and stay away from skylights.

whatever next?

Will the city of Gothenburg be suing for painting its socialist paradise as a vice-ridden cesspool? Will Turkey up the ante by demanding some Warner head on a plate for insulting Turkishness when the case is laughed out of court? Stay tuned...

sue turkey for nicking an animals name

I'm going to sue turkey on behalf of the poor turkeys who had there name nicked by that country and can't defend themselves. Gobble gobble!

What a fking nob head

Powerpuff Girls

The Powerpuff Girls live in Townsville. Went there once, but no sign of Mojo Jojo. Can I sue?

Anonymous because, well, would you admit to watching the Powerpuff Girls?

If they succeed...

...it make things wide open to a potential windfall for Dildo, Newfoundland.

I'll be going now.

That is freakin awesome!!!

Am I the only one here who actually wants to move to this town now? I mean come on ... that is shaweet!!!

In a set of related stories....

The city of Austin Texas is suing the creators of the Bionic Man;

The city of Prince Nevada is suing the creators of Wonder Woman;

and the city of Dildo Newfoundland is suing the adult film industry.

@richard tanswell

Love it. Childish playground insults always crack me up.

See also: "bum mates" and "willy"

Breaking news

Bernard Matthews is suing the country Turkey for using the name Turkey on behalf of all the Turkeys (feathered type) in the world based on the premise that Turkeys (feathered type) were there first. Any damages given will be used to save Turkeys from the dinner table this Christmas.If he fails then he says he'll look like a bit of a Turkey. Which bit of a Turkey and whether he was refering to Turkey the country or Turkeys of the feathered variety is unclear.

i'll sue

there was a young man from limerick

who ran to his lawyers real quick

sue anyone who 5-line rhymes said he

and as rich as fuck, I will be

so i have to finish this now.

lol

Shit Films. I'm with the Turks. Ha Ha!

OMG...

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/12/news/virgins.php

The real reason for the 'virgin suicides'.

Shocking.

prediction?

The way courts/lawsuits go these days, Turkey better watch out.

Because chances are they'll go to court and Turkey will end up having infringed on the Batman Francises copyright (simply because the Batman character is more famous) and Turkey will have to change the name of the little town that they're trying so desperately to point out to us.