http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/d...76.asp?gid=244

Huseyin Kalkan, the mayor of Batman, Istanbul is set to sue Chris Nolan, director of "The Dark Knight" for the rights of the name 'Batman'. "The royalty of the name 'Batman' belongs to us... There is only one Batman in the World" said Kalkan.

Dating back to the Neolithic age, the region grew in significance in the late 1940's, a decade after the iconic hero was created.

Residents living abroad cannot use the title for businesses for fear of royalty rights. Safii Dag, a former Batman resident with two restaurants in Germany said "..a team of employees from the production company of the movie Batman made me change the title. Telling them that Batman was the name of my hometown did not change anything.