A federal judge in Manhattan said Wednesday that Warner Bros. Entertainment has been given the plot for its 2022 blockbuster The Batman by a writer who wrote a story about the Caped Crusader 30 years ago. The court ruled that he had not stolen.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer also said that author Christopher Wozniak hired him as a freelance artist in 1990 for DC Comics, where he wrote “The Ultimate Mystery,” which was later retitled “The Blind Hat.” The company said it had infringed on its copyright.
“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering our next steps,” Terry Parker, Wozniak’s attorney, said in an email.
Wozniak said he was “stunned” to learn that The Batman was a near-copy of The Ultimate Riddle, which terrorizes Gotham City, which is plagued by crime and ruled by a corrupt banking cartel. insisted.
But Engelmayer wrote in his 45-page ruling that Wozniak deliberately and unauthorizedly borrowed material from DC Comics works to create the story, and that the Batman character and plot elements were “extensively used.” , in fact, it is full of them.”
“The use of the Batman character and the protected elements surrounding it in the story is a clear and blatant act of copyright infringement,” the judge said.
Engelmayer also points to important similarities between both films: a lone serial killer bent on destroying society, a villain who taunts his pursuers with “clues and riddles,” and a “lucidity or lack of clarity” that drives the villain to commit crimes. He also said that “lightbulb” moments are too common to support Wozniak’s claims. Copyright Claim.
In the latter case, the judge cited in a footnote movies such as Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, in which Anakin Skywalker succumbs to the dark side of the Force and becomes Darth Vader.
Mr. Engelmayer also denied Mr. Wozniak’s “completely speculative” claims about how Warner Bros. gained access to his articles.
Lawyers for Warner Bros. and DC Comics had no immediate comment.
Wozniak sued Warner Bros. in October 2022. DC Comics, which owns thousands of copyrights to Batman works dating back to 1941, sued Wozniak two months later.
The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as the Riddler.
It received mixed to positive reviews and box office receipts were $772 million worldwideaccording to Box Office Mojo.
The case is Wozniak v. Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. and DC Comics v. Wozniak, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 22-08969.
