DC Comics hit Mark Towle, the owner of Gotham Garage, with a lawsuit in 2011 that claimed he was infringing its copyright. Mr Towle argued that the Batmobile was a usable item and not a copyrightable character, but the judge in a district court ruled in favour of the plaintiff.

Mr Towle took the case to a federal appeals court last September but was beaten once more, with the court highlighting that the Batmobile is ‘a highly-interactive vehicle, equipped with high-tech gadgets and weaponry used to aid Batman in fighting crime.’ His last chance to overturn the rulings was the US Supreme Court, but he has been told that the court will not hear the case. Sources: NBC News; ars technica