VALENCIA - Spanish La Liga club Valencia are being sued by DC Comics because their club logo depicts a bat that looks very similar to that associated with the superhero Batman.

Arguably one of the world's favourite comic book and movie characters, Batman has become a legend since the first comic came out 70 years ago. With the recent film trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, the character's popularity has soared even higher.

And now DC Comics, the United States-based comic book giants, are pursuing legal channels, claiming that the new bat logo is a rip-off of the iconic character, reported Yahoo Sports.

They have apparently filed a complaint with the OHIC (the European Union's trademark registration body) and want Valencia to change it.

Valencia - currently owned by Singapore billionaire Peter Lim - have always had a bat in their club emblem since their 1919 foundation, even before the first Batman comic was published.

Furthermore, the bat is a symbol that has been used in Spanish emblems for over 800 years.

While the team may not be considered Dark Knights, they surely are the dark horses as they sit third in the La Liga title race - three points behind league leaders Real Madrid.