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DC Comics Prevails In Batmobile Copyright Dispute

Posted by timothy on from the mechanical-royalties dept.

think_nix writes "Wired reports of U.S. District Judge Ronald S. W. Lew siding with DC Comics in the federal copyright court case against Gotham Garage owner Mark Towle. DC accused Towle of selling 'unlicensed replica vehicle modification kits based on vehicle design copyrights from plaintiff's Batman property, including various iterations of the fictional automobile, the Batmobile.' Lew noted that 'DC Comics pleads sufficient facts to support its allegations. Although, generally copyright law does not apply to "useful articles" such as autos.'"

5 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. Not fair by Droog57 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I can see this being a problem for a mass-produced replica or knock-off toys, but the kind of buyer for this product does not have any other choice than to get one custom made. If I remember correctly the original was a one off by George Barris, and the Gotham Garage website hails a Munster Mobile, with apparently no issues there. If someone wants to plunk down (presumably) big bucks to fulfill a childhood dream, they should be able to. This is copyright gone too far.

    --
    "If the only tool that you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." Donny Rumsfeld
    1. Re:Not fair by ScentCone · · Score: 1, Insightful

      If someone wants to plunk down (presumably) big bucks to fulfill a childhood dream, they should be able to.

      Does their childhood dream actually involve having someone else rip off the artist who created the thing about which they've been dreaming? Do they think that the Batmobile they're lusting for was some sort of natural resource that just sprang into existence? Or does the particular design they have in mind perhaps have, you know, a designer who invested the time in making it dream-worthy in the first place?

      I can see this being a problem for a mass-produced replica or knock-off toys, but the kind of buyer for this product does not have any other choice than to get one custom made.

      So, basically, you've got non-scalable, situational ethics. That's got to be really hard to keep track of.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  2. Re:I'm actually ok with this by RyuuzakiTetsuya · · Score: 5, Insightful

    if I had to choose between iOS and LCARS I'd take iOS.

    Ever look at an LCARS interface? jesus, who designed this? Space aliens? Oh wait...

    --
    Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
  3. Re:I'm actually ok with this by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I dunno...this one looks kinda close.

  4. So I can buy these from DC comics then? by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is where the whole idea of copyright goes to shit. I'd be totally behind the content owner if they were in direct competition with the garage, i.e. DC Comics also sold car modification kits.

    I can see how piracy could lead to lost sales.
    I can see how creating duplicate products can lead to lost sales.

    What I can also see is the net end result here won't bring in any money for DC Comics, doesn't affect sales, and removes a product people were buying without any alternatives.