DC Comics, owned by Warner Bros Discovery Inc (NASDAQ:WBD), has maintained the trademark rights to Batman’s logo following a dispute with an Italian clothing retailer.
Commerciale Italiana wanted to freedom to use the caped crusader’s logo, which was registered with the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) over 20 years ago, for clothing and carnival items.
The retailer had claimed that the logo lacked distinctive character, but the view was not shared with the EUIPO, which rejected the application.
Next, the issue was taken to the General Court in Luxembourg, but officials there sided with EUIPO’s decision.
“The evidence submitted to the General Court is not sufficient to show that the EU trademark representing a bat in an oval surround was devoid of distinctive character on the date of filing of the application for registration,” the court stated.