DC Comics’ Legal BAT-tle
In a highly unusual move, DC Comics is suing Spanish football club Valencia C.F. over the use of the bat in its logo. A lawsuit has already been filed since May 2013 at the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM), the trademark registration office of the European Union (EU). DC Comics claims that the bat placed on top of Valencia C.F.’s shield logo bears a too-close-for-comfort resemblance to the logo of one of its most iconic characters – Batman.
Unfortunately, the odds don’t exactly seem to be in DC Comics’ favor. While Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939, Valencia C.F. has been using the bat as a logo since it was first formed in 1919. Currently, it is the third biggest Spanish football club after Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Fans have nicknamed its football players as Els Taronges (The Oranges, after the color of their uniforms), Valencianistas, and – unsurprisingly – Los Murciélagos (The Bats). The bat itself has also been used in Spanish heraldic devices since the 13th century, and even appears in the coat-of-arms of the city of Valencia itself. Currently, both parties cannot be reached for comments, and the Spanish branch of the OHIM has already stated it does not comment on individual issues.
While this is happening, rum drinkers are wondering when DC will press charges against Bacardi.
Patricia Acevedo
