Variety has reported that a town in Turkey called Batman is suing Warner Bros. and film director Christopher Nolan for what they deem improper use of their town’s name. According to Variety, Mayor Huseyin Kalkan blames the film for an increase in crime and suicide among depressed citizens who are distressed to see their city’s name usurped. Kalkan stated, “There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us.”
I wonder how he’ll react when he learns his surname was appropriated by pet food manufacturers.
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Strategically, if they win, they’ve set a precedent for their country to sue Thanksgiving.
Wait, they’ve only figured out NOW that there’s a character named Batman?
The Ottoman Empire fell a hundred years ago, so they’ve had plenty of time to catch up to the rest of the civilized world. 😛
Yeah, this is pretty absurd. This is the kind of case that is so clear cut, Warner Brothes wouldn’t settle because crushing them would just be too much fun.
I sent this news item out to friends a little while back via email.One of them (The trivial… er… Master of Trivia Micha I believe.) sent back a fun little tidbit that kicks their “we had the name first” claim in the butt.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Main Entry: bat-man
Pronunciation:
\ˈbat-mən\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
French bât packsaddle
Date: 1755
: an orderly of a British military officer
In your face, Mayor Kalkan!
“This is the kind of case that is so clear cut, Warner Brothes wouldn’t settle because crushing them would just be too much fun.”
Interestingly, in web-researching a bit about this story and this mayor, I came across this article from August 2007 about the rate of honor killings/suicides in Batman, Turkey. Toward the bottom of the article, it mentions in passing that this same mayor was “awarded damages by DC Comics after a lawsuit over the use of his town’s name for the superhero Batman.”
If that’s true–and it may not be; it may be a bit of misreporting or something–then it would seem that there was some sort of legal action or settlement from 2007, before this latest lawsuit that has hit the news recently…
Oh, it’s hardly the only Batman. Melbourne, Australia has Batman Park, named after the founder of the city, John Batman (and Melbourne was almost called Batmania in his honor). Details at http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=1587
(and may I say the kids who go to “Batman Park Kindergarten” must really get to rule it over their peers).
There’s also Bat Cave, NC near where I grew up. I recall they did some tie-ins back in the 60s when the Adam West show was on. The Wikipedia article for it has a shot of the Bat Cave exit sign off one of the area’s major highways.
When I lived in Ames, Iowa there was a local woman named Batman. I remember reading an article about her when the Michael Keaton movie came out. She was a retired lady in her 80s, I think, who had been a Batman since she had married, which was before there was a Batman in the comics.
Funny thing, her late husband, Mr. Batman, was a policeman.
Bats and law enforcement. Go figure.
Honestly, I doubt that he expects to win. He is probably doing this to bring his town’s name into the public consciousness. And if that is the reason, then he has succeeded.
Do they have no idea of how this sort of thing is supposed to work? You CAPITALIZE on the name! Sell all kinds of Batman-themed stuff! Attract tourism! Build up the economy of your town! Hëll, there’s a city in Japan called Obama that just did that very thing.
All they’re doing is creating a case that will be laughed out of court. I can’t figure out why they named Christopher Nolan. He doesn’t have any legal rights to the name “Batman.”
Oh well. I suppose it’s nobody’s business but the Turks.
There’s also Bat Cave, NC near where I grew up. I recall they did some tie-ins back in the 60s when the Adam West show was on. The Wikipedia article for it has a shot of the Bat Cave exit sign off one of the area’s major highways.
One of my favorite fake motivational posters: http://www.thecomedynet.com/images3/batcave.jpg
Hey, I’m with this guy. If Turkey is known for anything it’s the deep respect they have for copyright protection, as demonstrated in such cinematic treasures as “3 Dev Adam” aka “3 Mighty Men” aka “Santo and Captain America vs. Spiderman”. Not to mention “Turkish Star Wars”, “Turkish Superman” and so many others.
Next the cities of Casablanca, Chicago, Fargo, Truth or Consequences and scores of others will be filing suit.
In a related development, my hometown is suing the estate of Redd Foxx.
Bill Mulligan
Sanford, North Carolina
Warners should counter by threatening to send Joel Schumacher to film their city.
You just have to marvel at what these retards are thinking. Why sue the producers of the film, rather than the publishing company that owns and has published the character continuously for the past 70 years?
Hey, Peter, may you should write the press releases for this city during the course of this suit. You said you always wanted to write for Batman. 🙂
I don’t think Truth or Consequences, NM has much of a case, given that they renamed the town due to the show soliciting for a town that would rename itself after the show.
Here’s the problem I have with the suit. They didn’t sue when Batman the TV show came out, they didn’t sue when the first batman movie came out, they didn;t sue when batman beings came out. They are suing The Dark Knight. The only film in the entire Batman franchise that doesn’t have the name Batman in the title.
In other words they waited until the character became popular enough to sell half a billion dollars in one movie before going after it.
I don’t know if this story is true, but I heard the story that Warner Brothers sued the Marx Brothers for the movie Casablanca Nights (?), and Groucho Marx threatened to sue them for using the name Brothers.
That trivia is not mine Jerry.
A town named Batman is not that funny. A town called Ghost Rider or Transformers or Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skill would be funnier.
Can I sue whoever named my birthplace: Flushing in Queens, NY
so this means I can sue Life cereal for that commercial that made my childhood hëll?
Man, who would the folks from Intercourse, PA sue if they were so inclined?
I don’t know if this story is true, but I heard the story that Warner Brothers sued the Marx Brothers for the movie Casablanca Nights (?), and Groucho Marx threatened to sue them for using the name Brothers
Warner Brothers Lawyers did contact Groucho about their use of Casablanca in one of their movie titles, but Groucho responded with letters that became more & more non-sensical as they went on until the lawyers simply gave up trying to sort out the letters he was sending them.
Among Groucho’s responses were pointing out that Casablanca was a real place, how does Warners claim to own the name, and if they felt they also owned the rights to the use of ‘brothers’.
Tha letters are collected in one of his books, I think it was “Letters To & From Groucho”, which also has the lawyers letters reprinted as well.
Man, who would the folks from Intercourse, PA sue if they were so inclined?
Their parents?
True story: a few years ago a colleague and I were discussing weird town names in Pennsylvania.
Me: I’ve always liked “Accident” as a name.
Her: I prefer “Intercourse” myself.
Third colleague who we didn’t think was listening: Yes, Rebecca, but stop changing the subject.
Hope Turkey wins
This whole story sounds like the script of an academy award nominated foreign movie with a role for a Hollywood actor or actress.
The village elders are cheated by an evil developer. They come up with the plan to sue over the name of their town after the mayor’s son/daughter sees the Dark Knight. The producers company sends a stern but good looking young lawyer to look into it. He/she falls in love with the simple life of the Turkish village and with said son/daughter. Christopher Nolan falls in love with somebody too. Happy ending.
This whole story sounds like the script of an academy award nominated foreign movie with a role for a Hollywood actor or actress.
Oh God… Why didn’t I see it before?
It may even be worse than that, Micha. We may all have been conned into blogging about the latest Sasha Baron Cohen crapfest.
Jeez…
Screw this. How about Batman VS The Academy?
http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/11/13/academy-disqualifies-dark-knight-score/
That really sucks. I thought that The Dark Knight had one of the best scores this year. That sucks.
Me, I’m hoping it wins one of the screenplay awards (either adapted or original, since both movies were based to some degree or another on books by Miller or Loeb), since the thing that stood out to me the most was what a great story it was, or an acting award for Ledger.
So will they also sue the Northern Virginia developer the Batman Corporation?
(Really. It was founded by a man named Bahman Batmanghelidj. Now you want business cards for the Batman Corporation. Yes you do.)
Posted by Luigi Novi at November 13, 2008 08:22 PM
Me, I’m hoping it wins one of the screenplay awards (either adapted or original, since both movies were based to some degree or another on books by Miller or Loeb), since the thing that stood out to me the most was what a great story it was, or an acting award for Ledger.
The only thing funnier than Ledger winning an acting award would be seeing his Zombie-Úš accepting the award.
What I want to know is, does Batman have a vigilante named Gotham?
“I suppose it’s nobody’s business but the Turks”
It’s Istanbul, Not Constantinople.