Batman has lawyered up. No, not Gotham’s Dark Knight, although he may want to send a team of attorneys to Hollywood when he hears that the score for his latest cinematic adventure has been deemed ineligible for Oscar consideration by those jokers in the Academy. The litigious Batman in question is actually a city in southeastern Turkey – that’s right, the city of Batman, Turkey.

Batman mayor Huseyin Kalkan is suing Warner Bros. for a share of The Dark Knight’s royalties for using the city’s name without permission. According to The Independent, “Mr Kalkan, who received a 10-month jail sentence at the beginning of this year for praising a Kurdish rebel leader, says the film's psychological impact on Batman inhabitants is to blame for a number of unsolved murders and a high female suicide rate. Former natives of Batman are also said to have encountered obstacles when attempting to register their businesses abroad.”

Many questions spring to mind, but the first one is, of course…you’re just now hearing about Batman? Batman, the guy who’s had his own comic book for nearly 70 years? Who had a hit television show in the 1960s? Who starred in six feature films before The Dark Knight? The most recognizable fictional character on earth besides maybe Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald? That Batman?

Nevertheless, Mr. Kalkan claims “"There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us.” Somehow I don’t think the Warner Bros. suits are breaking a sweat over this one. “No one from the town of Batman has explained why it has taken so many years to take legal action,” The Independent reports. “Cynics have suggested that the latest film's hefty profits – it is about to pass the $1bn (£670m) mark at the box office – may have played a part.” Ya think?

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