DC Comics SUES Valencia CF Over Logo – Too Similar To Batman’s, Says Superhero Brand Of Soccer Team

Shocking as it may be, the latest news regarding the comic book world has nothing to do with new movies or casting choices: DC Comics and Valencia CF, the Spanish soccer club, will now be entering a legal battle over the team's logo.

Who would have thought that DC Comics and Valencia would be having problems - and over Batman's logo, no less? According to The Mirror, the famous publishing company famous for superheroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman has decided to take legal action against one of Spain's most famous soccer clubs.

The company behind Bruce Wayne states that the club is damaging its brand and violating copyright by having a bat similar to Batman's logo in its crest, which explains the DC Comics and Valencia issue. However, it seems that things are ever so slightly more complex than that.

While the worldwide fans might be more aware of DC Comics than Valencia, it seems that the team's association with bats dates to the beginning of the 20th century, according to sports website Goal.com - and the city of Valencia has a strong mythological affiliation with the animal since the 13th century, when legend says that King James I of Aragon was re-entering the city and he had a bat landing on his flag, which was taken as a good omen by the monarch.

While there have been variations of the team's crest over the years, DC Comics' Valencia issue comes from its latest one, which the company claims bears too much resemblance to different Batman logos in the past.

DC Comics' Valencia issue was first posted in May 2013, according to BBC Sport, and it featured an 11-page claim regarding the fact that the team had supposedly copied two of Batman's logos - a design that has changed nine times since the inception of the Dark Knight back in the late 1930s.

It might get tough for DC Comics to win this battle, considering the link between the city of Valencia and bats dates back hundreds of years - and even the team's association with the flying mammals predates the Gotham City superhero, as the team's first crest in 1919 also had a bat, while the first issue of Batman came out in 1939, 20 years later.

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