Kapow! Holy Batmobile, Batman!

Haven’t written in a while despite some really important rulings on, e.g. finding of personal jurisdiction based on social network activity, but the following has something that even those weighty and intellectually stimulating topics don’t have: Batman.

Cue Batman music. Ok, it was annoying enough then, kill the music (insert sound of needle scraping LP here).

Batman?

Yes, and more particularly, the Batmobile. Quite possibly the coolest car ever invented. Even you Ferrari drivers know it.
Back to our story.

The case is DC Comics v. Mark Towle et al (2:11-cv-03934), before Judge Ronald Lew in the Central District of California.

It seems that a custom carmaker who goes by the name of “Gotham Garage” decided to build replica Batmobiles. Hey, who could blame him? I want one! I like this guy already! Porsche? Who needs a Porsche? I want a Batmobile, too!

(Just a note: Gotham Garage also apparently builds other custom roadsters to look like iconic vehicles from popular TV shows and movies. Thus, if you wanted your ride to be – the beat up old horse drawn wagon from Bonanza, for example – this might be the shop to turn to.)

But alas, not everyone thought his business plan was such a great idea. Enter DC Comics (a hero in their own right, come on, we have to admit it). DC, ahem, owns the copyright to Batman and all his accoutrements. While DC may love the Batmobile as much as the rest of us, they weren’t too hip on Mr. Towle making replicas and selling them to discerning buyers, comme moi.

So they (or was it our Caped Crusaders?) sued. Copyright infringement. And trademark. And trademark counterfeiting. And unfair competition under the Lanham Act, and common law unfair competition. Hey, these guys are not messing around.


The defendant attempted to have the case dismissed on a 12(b)(6) motion (failure to state a claim). A creative argument, he said that useful articles like automobiles are not copyrightable. Judge Lew said no. He sided with the plaintiff which argued that “While automobiles (in their entirety) may be considered useful articles not protected by copyright, defendant’s motion utterly ignores the issue of separability of nonfunctional, artistic elements of plaintiff’s Batmobiles from the underlying vehicle”.

So, point for the Dynamic Duo. The court found the complaint plead sufficient facts, thus allowing it to move forward.

Next Bat-step? Towles will have to answer DC’s allegations that Towles’ full-size, drivable Batmobile replicas — which include both the version from the 60’s TV show (which is the one I want) and the version from the films infringe DC’s rights as the comic book publisher.

I think the time has come for a quote from Rodney King, with a minor addition of my own: “Can’t we all just get along?” And can’t I have one of the Batmobiles after DC takes possession of them? Hey, I was named a Southern California Super Lawyer, but I don’t even have a cape! At the very least, I should get a car!
Stay tuned. Same Bat Channel . . . ok, I’ll spare you that part.


Jonathan Pink is an intellectual property attorney at Bryan Cave, LLP. He is resident in the Los Angeles and Orange County offices and can be reached at jonathan.pink@bryancave.com. In addition to litigating copyright and trademark issues, he really wants a Batmobile.