Here's a nice snapshot of a town in Turkey, famous for mostly for its position on a particular river and its oil-producing nature. Not sure if it's top of the 10-places-to-see-before-you-die tourist list but it has been described with such delightful descriptions as "historical glory", "natural richness" and "magnificent". Actually its position and trade isn't why its at all famous really. It has a funny name: Batman.

But we shouldn't mock, and certainly the novelty factor has grated on the nerves of its mayor, one Hüseyin Kalkan.

Spitting with outrage at the evil US, earlier this month he doth say:

There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us.

Can you believe it!? US industry is all about copyright, trademarks and the like when it suits them, but clearly Hollywood shows no respect when the boot is on the other foot and did not even bother to clear the name of the lead character of recent blockbuster The Dark Knight. Fury.

Apparently not considering the fact that the the character in question is a man who looks and acts (a bit like) a bat and has existed in popular culture since 1939 mitigating circumstances enough, he is gathering evidence that the town existed before the film with a view to mounting legal action against the latest film's director, Christopher Nolan. Chance of righteous legal success? Umm...

But aha, legal eagles say, even if this is a massive infringement of all that is good and holy in the way of intellectual property law, surely for maximum favour to be yours in in court one has to prove that the infrigement actually caused you some material damage? (Well maybe, the Poorhouse should not be taken as a definitive source of legal knowledge, despite having watched quite a few episodes of CSI). Well, this, claims Mayor Kalkan, is indeed the case.

Kalkan also blames a series of unsolved murders in his city on the psychological impact of the film's success.

As far as the Poorhouse knows the crimes were not accompanied with a huge spotlight projecting a bat symbol above the town or a rancid looking clown in the vicinity. Besides, doesn't Batman, the film, show a city being brought into good order with good old Mr Batman saving the world a lot? Most of the fantastic 60s-70s episodes featuring the lycra-ed up Batman and his Boy Wonder certainly were. You'd think the residents of Joker, Texas would have more to complain about. Somehow it must make sense to at least one person on the planet anyway.