Insert every lawyer is a Shark joke here. DC Comics has opposed a company's attempt to register its SHARK KRYPTONITE trademark in association with its shark repellent claiming that DC Comics owns unfettered rights to the KRYPTONITE trademark.

We all know Batman had his problem with sharks and therefore used his trusty "Shark Repellent" spray. Seems like Superman has a similar product...or does he.

A company named Sportfish-Shark Deterrent Technologies, LLC, little on the nose there, that sells wrist bands that swimmers and divers can wear to supposedly scare off sharks. The company filed a trademark for a not-yet-in-use product called SHARK KRYPTONITE which is likely similar to its bands. However, the proposed mark was unable to deter DC Comics.

In Greek, krypton roughly translates as “the hidden one” and is a chemical element with symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless noble gas that is found in trace amounts in the atmosphere. Enough science for today. While Superman was first introduced in 1938, it wasn’t until 1943 that the KRYPTON and KYPTONITE trademarks started being used with the Man of Steel. Kryptonite is a fictional material used to weaken Superman’s powers. Over the years, DC Comics has used many variations of the mark including KRYPTO THE SUPERDOG. The mark has become almost as famous as Superman and DC Comics owns several register trademarks for the KRYPTON marks.

In a similar trademark opposition that I have seen several times before, DC Comics argues that due to its extensive use of the KRYPTONITE mark that people would associate the shark repellent with DC Comics. Basically, DC Comics claims that if you had used some "Shark Krptonite" to ward off some hungry predators, you would think it was in some way licensed by or affiliated with DC Comics, when it is not.

Due to its widespread use of the mark for decades, I think DC Comics will win this fight if there isn’t a settlement.