Comic book giants DC Comics have filed a ridiculous complaint with the OHIC, the European Union’s trademark registration body, against La Liga side Valencia CF’s right to use an adaptation of their existing logo of a bat with it’s wings raised upwards.
Valencia are commonly referred to as “Los Murcielagos” (“The bats”) as a reference to their crest which features a bat above a shield bearing the flag of the Valencian community.
DC Comics claims that a new adaption of Valencia’s crest is too similar to the bat symbol famed by superhero Batman. But it would be a major surprise, if the US-based comic giants would win the legal trademark battle.
The bat has been commonly used in Spanish heraldry since the 13th century, when King James I of Aragon conquered the region and added the image of the bat to his coat of arms. Valencia CF used bats in their club logos since 1919, while Batman’s first appearance was in 1939.
It looks like the Dark Knight has left Gotham to battle new “enemies”…