Batman has fought a killer clown, a roided-out luchadore and a woman who dresses up as a cat but he may have a much tougher foe in a Spanish soccer team.
DC Comics has filed a complaint against La Liga club Valencia over Valencia’s proposed trademark for the club’s new version of its crest.
But Batman creators DC Comics are apparently in a legal dispute with Valencia about the fact that the club has a bat as part of its logo – that’s according to Spanish news website Plaza Deportiva, which reports in delighted tones that ” a powerful new enemy has emerged for Valencia CF”.
One can see why the comic publisher may be a bit upset about it.
Before anyone claims that Valencia is obviously ripping off the Dark Knight, it should be noted that Valencia has ties to the bat that precede the creation of Bruce Wayne by centuries. According to Deadspin, the club’s community has used the bat as a symbol on its crest for hundreds of years, so they have a very strong case that they should be allowed to use a bat-like logo. After all, it’s not like DC Comics owns everything bat-related. For instance, this is Valencia’s crest (which they own as a trademark):
If Valencia issues an alternate uniform that is red and features a robin, then DC Comics may have a better case.
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