Ninth Circuit Gives Batmobile The Copyright It Deserves, The One It Needs Right Now
A federal judge uses a cartoon character's famous exclamatory catchphrase to announce the court's unanimous ruling.
Holy copyright law, Batman!
— Judge Sandra S. Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit, employing the famous exclamatory catchphrase used by Batman’s sidekick, Robin, in the introduction to a recent opinion where she, writing on behalf of a unanimous three-judge panel that included Judges Michael J. Melloy and Jay S. Bybee, granted DC Comics the right to assert copyright protection for the Batmobile.
In the underlying case, DC Comics filed suit against Mark Towle, the owner of Gotham Garage, who is known for making replicas of the Batmobile. After learning of the loss, Towle’s lawyer, Larry Zerner, said, “We didn’t copy the design of the car in the comic book, and we didn’t copy any of the character attributes. It’s just a car. These automobiles don’t fight crime.”
Not All Legal AI Is Created Equal
(Flip to the next page to read the opinion in full.)
Sponsored
A Law Firm Checklist For Successful Transaction Management
Not All Legal AI Is Created Equal
Trust The Process: How To Build And Manage Workflows In Law Firms
How Savvy Lawyers Build Their Law Firm Rate Sheet
How To Build And Manage Your Law Firm Rate Sheet
