Batmobile Ruled a Copyright Character

Batman’s Batmobile got treated like more than a car after DC Comics sued Mark Towle, a mechanic who built and sold Batmobile replicas. In DC Comics v. Towle (2015), the Ninth Circuit court said the Batmobile has “physical as well as conceptual qualities” that make it distinctive across comics, TV, and film. The court also rejected the idea that it was just a “useful article” like an ordinary vehicle, which is why DC could block replicas as copyright infringement.

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