Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 97115 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ETRD EAGR ETTC EAID ECON EFIN ECIN EINV ELAB EAIR ENRG EPET EWWT ECPS EIND EMIN ELTN EC ETMIN EUC EZ ET ELECTIONS ENVR EU EUN EG EINT ER ECONOMICS ES EMS ENIV EEB EN ECE ECOSOC EK ENVIRONMENT EFIS EI EWT ENGRD ECPSN EXIM EIAD ERIN ECPC EDEV ENGY ECTRD EPA ESTH ECCT EINVECON ENGR ERTD EUR EAP EWWC ELTD EL EXIMOPIC EXTERNAL ETRDEC ESCAP ECO EGAD ELNT ECONOMIC ENV ETRN EIAR EUMEM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID EREL ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA ETCC ETRG ECONOMY EMED ETR ENERG EITC EFINOECD EURM EENG ERA EXPORT ENRD ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EGEN EBRD EVIN ETRAD ECOWAS EFTA ECONETRDBESPAR EGOVSY EPIN EID ECONENRG EDRC ESENV ETT EB ENER ELTNSNAR ECHEVARRIA ETRC EPIT EDUC ESA EFI ENRGY ESCI EE EAIDXMXAXBXFFR EETC ECIP EIAID EIVN EBEXP ESTN EING EGOV ETRA EPETEIND ELAN ETRDGK EAIDRW ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC ENVI ELN EAG EPCS EPRT EPTED ETRB EUM EAIDS EFIC EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR ESF EIDN ELAM EDU EV EAIDAF ECN EDA EXBS EINTECPS ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ EPREL EAC EINVEFIN ETA EAGER EINDIR ECA ECLAC ELAP EITI EUCOM ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID EARG ELDIN EINVKSCA ENNP EFINECONCS EFINTS ECCP ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEFIN EIB EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM ETIO ELAINE EMN EATO EWTR EIPR EINVETC ETTD ETDR EIQ ECONCS EPPD ENRGIZ EISL ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO EUREM ENTG ERD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN EFND EPECO EAIRECONRP ERGR ETRDPGOV ECPN ENRGMO EPWR EET EAIS EAGRE EDUARDO EAGRRP EAIDPHUMPRELUG EICN ECONQH EVN EGHG ELBR EINF EAIDHO EENV ETEX ERNG ED
KMDR KPAO KPKO KJUS KCRM KGHG KFRD KWMN KDEM KTFN KHIV KGIC KIDE KSCA KNNP KHUM KIPR KSUM KISL KIRF KCOR KRCM KPAL KWBG KN KS KOMC KSEP KFLU KPWR KTIA KSEO KMPI KHLS KICC KSTH KMCA KVPR KPRM KE KU KZ KFLO KSAF KTIP KTEX KBCT KOCI KOLY KOR KAWC KACT KUNR KTDB KSTC KLIG KSKN KNN KCFE KCIP KGHA KHDP KPOW KUNC KDRL KV KPREL KCRS KPOL KRVC KRIM KGIT KWIR KT KIRC KOMO KRFD KUWAIT KG KFIN KSCI KTFIN KFTN KGOV KPRV KSAC KGIV KCRIM KPIR KSOC KBIO KW KGLB KMWN KPO KFSC KSEAO KSTCPL KSI KPRP KREC KFPC KUNH KCSA KMRS KNDP KR KICCPUR KPPAO KCSY KTBT KCIS KNEP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KGCC KINR KPOP KMFO KENV KNAR KVIR KDRG KDMR KFCE KNAO KDEN KGCN KICA KIMMITT KMCC KLFU KMSG KSEC KUM KCUL KMNP KSMT KCOM KOMCSG KSPR KPMI KRAD KIND KCRP KAUST KWAWC KTER KCHG KRDP KPAS KITA KTSC KPAOPREL KWGB KIRP KJUST KMIG KLAB KTFR KSEI KSTT KAPO KSTS KLSO KWNN KPOA KHSA KNPP KPAONZ KBTS KWWW KY KJRE KPAOKMDRKE KCRCM KSCS KWMNCI KESO KWUN KPLS KIIP KEDEM KPAOY KRIF KGICKS KREF KTRD KFRDSOCIRO KTAO KJU KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KO KNEI KEMR KKIV KEAI KWAC KRCIM KWCI KFIU KWIC KCORR KOMS KNNO KPAI KBWG KTTB KTBD KTIALG KILS KFEM KTDM KESS KNUC KPA KOMCCO KCEM KRCS KWBGSY KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KWN KERG KLTN KALM KCCP KSUMPHUM KREL KGH KLIP KTLA KAWK KWMM KVRP KVRC KAID KSLG KDEMK KX KIF KNPR KCFC KFTFN KTFM KPDD KCERS KMOC KDEMAF KMEPI KEMS KDRM KEPREL KBTR KEDU KNP KIRL KNNR KMPT KISLPINR KTPN KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KTDD KAKA KFRP KWNM KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KWWMN KECF KWBC KPRO KVBL KOM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KEDM KFLD KLPM KRGY KNNF KICR KIFR KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KDDG KCGC KID KNSD KMPF KPFO KDP KCMR KRMS KNPT KNNNP KTIAPARM KDTB KNUP KPGOV KNAP KNNC KUK KSRE KREISLER KIVP KQ KTIAEUN KPALAOIS KRM KISLAO KWM KFLOA
PHUM PINR PTER PGOV PREL PREF PL PM PHSA PE PARM PINS PK PUNE PO PALESTINIAN PU PBTS PROP PTBS POL POLI PA PGOVZI POLMIL POLITICAL PARTIES POLM PD POLITICS POLICY PAS PMIL PINT PNAT PV PKO PPOL PERSONS PING PBIO PH PETR PARMS PRES PCON PETERS PRELBR PT PLAB PP PAK PDEM PKPA PSOCI PF PLO PTERM PJUS PSOE PELOSI PROPERTY PGOVPREL PARP PRL PNIR PHUMKPAL PG PREZ PGIC PBOV PAO PKK PROV PHSAK PHUMPREL PROTECTION PGOVBL PSI PRELPK PGOVENRG PUM PRELKPKO PATTY PSOC PRIVATIZATION PRELSP PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PMIG PREC PAIGH PROG PSHA PARK PETER POG PHUS PPREL PS PTERPREL PRELPGOV POV PKPO PGOVECON POUS PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PWBG PMAR PREM PAR PNR PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PARMIR PGOVGM PHUH PARTM PN PRE PTE PY POLUN PPEL PDOV PGOVSOCI PIRF PGOVPM PBST PRELEVU PGOR PBTSRU PRM PRELKPAOIZ PGVO PERL PGOC PAGR PMIN PHUMR PVIP PPD PGV PRAM PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOF PINO PHAS PODC PRHUM PHUMA PREO PPA PEPFAR PGO PRGOV PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PREFA PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PINOCHET PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA PRELC PREK PHUME PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PEACE PROCESS PLN PRELSW PAHO PEDRO PRELA PASS PPAO PGPV PNUM PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PEL PBT PAMQ PINF PSEPC POSTS PHUMPGOV PVOV PHSAPREL PROLIFERATION PENA PRELTBIOBA PIN PRELL PGOVPTER PHAM PHYTRP PTEL PTERPGOV PHARM PROTESTS PRELAF PKBL PRELKPAO PKNP PARMP PHUML PFOV PERM PUOS PRELGOV PHUMPTER PARAGRAPH PERURENA PBTSEWWT PCI PETROL PINSO PINSCE PQL PEREZ PBS

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 08ANKARA2008, HOLY TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT! IT'S BATMAN VS. BATMAN

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #08ANKARA2008.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08ANKARA2008 2008-11-20 06:57 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Ankara
VZCZCXRO5346
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #2008/01 3250657
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 200657Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8061
INFO RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 3411
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 5044
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002008 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR PHUM KCRM TU
SUBJECT: HOLY TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT! IT'S BATMAN VS. BATMAN 
 
REF: A. ISTANBUL 452 
     B. 06 ADANA 216 
     C. 06 ANKARA 5606 
 
1. SUMMARY. In a story that received a great deal of play in 
the blogosphere and in both the U.S. and Turkish press 
(including mention on CNN and in Variety), Huseyin Kalkan, 
mayor of the small Turkish city of Batman, has announced 
plans to sue Warner Brothers and director Christopher Nolan 
for unauthorized use of the city's name in the recent box 
office hit "The Dark Knight."   The merits of the case are 
murky at best, but the fact that a mayor in eastern Turkey is 
contemplating a trademark infringement case demonstrates a 
growing awareness in Turkey that Turkish rights holders also 
have a stake in IPR enforcement.  END SUMMARY. 
 
POW! Batman Planning to Sue Batman 
---------------------------------- 
 
2. Huseyin Kalkan, mayor of the small eastern Turkish city of 
Batman, recently informed the press that the city is planning 
to file a lawsuit against the movie studio Warner Brothers 
and director Christopher Nolan for using the city's name 
without permission in the movie "The Dark Knight," claiming 
that the city of Batman has a unique right to the name 
"Batman."  The mayor admitted that the idea for the lawsuit 
came from an English columnist, who had suggested using some 
of the film's revenues (now approaching the billion-dollar 
mark) to help reduce the city's high female suicide rate and 
eliminate the growing problem of street children. (Comment: 
The mayor's statement appears to have been lost in 
translation when the story hit the U.S. press, with multiple 
media outlets reporting that the mayor was actually blaming 
the movie for the female suicide rate as well as a series of 
unsolved murders.  This view is not supported by the mayor's 
comments to the Turkish press. End comment.) 
 
3. Kalkan is reportedly still mulling over whether to open 
the lawsuit in the United States or in Turkey, but noted to 
the press that his legal advisors have suggested that the 
U.S. would be the more appropriate venue, as that is where 
the "crime" was committed.  He has stated, however, that he 
is willing to open a case in Turkey if that becomes 
necessary. 
 
BIFF! (Turkish) Batman's Not So Secret Origin Undercuts Claim 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
4. Although Kalkan is confident that the city will be 
victorious no matter where the case is heard, there is ample 
reason to doubt the merits of the suit.  One reason is that 
the superhero may actually predate the name of the town. 
The "Batman" comic book series began in 1939, whereas the 
city did not take the Batman name until 1955, when the 
existing town of Iluh was renamed and incorporated as a 
county.  The mayor is attempting to collect evidence that the 
name was used earlier in reference to the town, but the 
historical record seems to be against him (as is his city's 
own website, which details the history of the town and has 
the year 1955 emblazoned in the city seal).  The nearby 
Batman River (from which the city takes its name) may have 
more cause for complaint, but it is unclear who could 
legitimately represent it and its name is a shortening of 
"Bati Raman" (or "West Raman"), referring to its geographic 
location west of Raman Mountain. 
 
5. In addition to these historical problems, Kalkan will face 
the more daunting issue that his case has little grounding in 
trademark law, according to Vehbi Kahveci, head of the 
Istanbul Bar Association's Intellectual and Industrial 
Property Rights Commission (and Warner Brothers' legal 
representative in Turkey).  The name of a local region cannot 
be used as a brand name under existing law, Kahveci observed, 
meaning that the city has no unique right to the name.  In 
addition, according to Kahveci, the "Batman" trademark and 
image were registered worldwide and the timeframe for the 
city to complain about infringement has long since expired. 
He also noted that neither he nor Warner Brothers has 
received any communication from Mayor Kalkan. 
 
OUCH! Batman's Dark Side (The City, That is...) 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
6. While the case itself may end up being frivolous, the very 
real problem of a high female suicide rate in Batman is not. 
An article in the New York Times in 2006 highlighted the 
growing frequency of "honor suicides" in the region, where 
family members who would traditionally have simply killed a 
daughter who brought shame to the family are now 
"encouraging" the daughters to kill themselves, thereby 
avoiding punishment under Turkish law (see reftels for more 
on honor killings in Turkey and the recent spread of the 
 
ANKARA 00002008  002 OF 002 
 
 
phenomenon to the western part of the country).  Comment: 
Taking the mayor at his word that any funds won in court 
would be used to help stop this problem, the goal of the 
lawsuit is commendable, even if the means are questionable 
(not unlike the Dark Knight himself).  End comment. 
 
KAPOW! IPR Protection is Receiving Attention ... 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
7. It is ironic that the city is considering a trademark suit 
against the makers of the only major Batman movie that does 
not actually contain the word "Batman" in the title.  But if 
nothing else, the case is a positive sign that awareness of 
intellectual property rights enforcement has spread even to 
the remote southeast of Turkey and that Turks are recognizing 
that they too may own valuable intellectual property.  In a 
country where the knee-jerk reaction is often to ban anything 
that offends local sensibilities (YouTube, CNN, et al.), it 
is also refreshing to see a Turkish official taking a 
different approach - although in this case the foreign media 
may cast him in the role of the Joker rather than the Caped 
Crusader. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey 
 
SILLIMAN