Gotham City: Representing Architectural Works In Motion Pictures

With the developer’s permission, Warner Bros. used portions of a Los Angeles building, the 801 Tower, in the motion picture “Batman Forever.” They also built a miniature model of the 801 Tower for special-effects shots. When the artist who designed some of the building’s distinctive features wasn’t consulted, he sued Warner Bros. for copyright infringement. Before 1990, copyright laws protected only an architect’s drawings. Newer copyright laws illustrate the difficulty in determining where permission is required.