A US judge has ruled that the 2022 film “The Batman” is not plagiarism

Warner Bros. didn't steal it. Entertainment's 2022 blockbuster “The Batman” will be plotted by a writer who created a story about the caped crusader three decades ago, a Manhattan federal judge ruled Wednesday.

District Judge Paul Engelmayer also said that writer Christopher Wozniak infringed a copyright owned by DC Comics, which employed him as a freelance artist in 1990 when he wrote “The Ultimate Riddle,” which was later renamed “The Blind Man's Hat.”

“We respectfully disagree with the court’s decision and are considering our next steps,” Terry Parker, Wozniak’s attorney, said in an email, saying he was “stunned” to learn that “Batman” was almost a clone of “The Ultimate Riddle.” “, in which the Riddler terrorizes a crime-ridden Gotham City controlled by a corrupt banking gang.

However, in the 45-page ruling, Engelmayer claims that Wozniak intentionally and without consent took material from DC Comics works to create his story, which “liberally exploits — in fact, replete with — Batman's characters and plot elements.”

“The story's use of the Batman character and the protected elements surrounding him is a clear and flagrant act of copyright infringement,” he wrote.

According to Engelmayer, the main similarities between the works—serial killers with a penchant for destroying society, villains who outsmart pursuers using “clues and puzzles,” and moments of “clarity or epiphany” that drive them to crime—were too common to imagine. Support Wozniak's copyright claim.

For the latter, Judge cited in a footnote films 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.

Engelmayer also dismissed Wozniak's “entirely speculative” claim about how Warner Bros. To his story. An attorney for the company and DC Comics had no immediate comment.

Wozniak filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. in October 2022. DC Comics, which owns thousands of copyrights dating back to 1941 for Batman works, sued Wozniak two months later.

“The Batman” starred Robert Pattinson as Batman, Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, and Paul Dano as the Riddler. It received mixed to positive reviews, and grossed more than $772 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

With information from Reuters