Can You Copyright the Batmobile?

For all the intellectual property folks: Mark Towle, a California custom car designer has made replicas of the Batmobile. Warner Brothers was not happy. At issue is whether a car can be a copyrighted character. From Hollywood, Esq.:

Towle was taken to court for violating trademarks and copyrights on replicas of the Batmobile, which set off a furious dispute over whether a car is entitled to copyright protection. The defendant objected to the contention, saying in court papers in December that a ruling that afforded the studio the ability to stop reproduction and distribution of a famous car would have "a significant impact on automobile makers and manufacturers."

Guess what?

In an extraordinary 54-page ruling Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lew writes that "it is clear that the Batmobile is a copyrighted character."

You can read the opinion here

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