Source: http://www.medialawmonitor.com/2016/01/holy-copyrightability-batman-the-batmobile-is-still-a-superhero/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 04:08:41+00:00

Document:
A recent Ninth Circuit decision has endorsed copyright protection for Batman’s four-wheeled sidekick, confirming that copyright protection can extend to “sufficiently distinctive” elements of an original work, like comic-book characters, even if the “character” is a car.
1 Defendant Mark Towle owns “Gotham Garage,” where he produces replicas of automobiles featured in motion pictures and television program. DC Comics sued Towle for copyright infringement, among other claims, arising out of Towle’s production of replicas of the Batmobile as it appeared in the 1966 “Batman” television series starring Adam West and in the 1989 “Batman” motion picture starring Michael Keaton.
2 See Halicki Films, LLC v. Sanderson Sales & Mktg.547 F.3d 1213 (9th Cir. 2008) (“Eleanor” – car appearing in original and remake of “Gone in 60 Seconds” – could be entitled to copyright protection), Walt Disney Prods. v. Air Pirates, 581 F.2d 751 (9th Cir. 1978) (certain Disney characters entitled to copyright protection), Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. v. Columbia Broad. Sys., Inc., 216 F.2d 945 (9th Cir. 1954), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. v. Am. Honda Motor Co., 900 F. Supp. 1287 (C.D. Cal. 1995) (James Bond copyrightable character), Toho Co. v. William Morrow & Co., 33 F. Supp. 2d 1206 (C.D. Cal. 1998) (Godzilla copyrightable character), and Sapon v. DC Comics, 2002 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56395 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 29, 2002) (Batman copyrightable character).
3 The 9th Circuit also addressed other aspects of Judge Lew’s opinion that are not covered here. This article only discussed the 9th Circuit’s decision to the extent it addresses the issue of whether the Batmobile qualifies as a character for purposes of copyright law.

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