Holy Lawsuit! Adam West Takes On Ad Agencies

As Batman, television actor Adam West was accustomed to battling such villains as the Penguin and the Joker. But in Burbank Superior Court on Tuesday, West took on a more substantial foe--a group of advertising agencies he alleges stole his characterization.

West, who portrayed the caped crusader in the campy 1960s television series, is seeking $900,000 in damages from the agencies for producing a television commercial featuring another actor as Batman. West, 51, testified that the actor used gestures, mannerisms and speech patterns similar to ones he used in the series.

The suit names three agencies--Ian Leech & Associates of Los Angeles, Ingalls, Quinn & Johnson of Boston, and BBDO New York. Anthony Liebig, an attorney for the agencies, said they purchased the rights to portray Batman from DC Comics, which originated the character.

“Actors perform roles, they don’t own them,” Liebig said. “If you want to do a commercial using Robin Hood, do you have to go deal with the estate of Errol Flynn?”