BATMANIA

Holy phony T-shirt! The phenomenal success of the movie “Batman” has spawned a huge market of bogus Batman merchandise. But look out, dastardly evil agents! Warner Bros. and federal authorities are determined to shut the door on all illegal Batman products (POW! BAM!) and have confiscated 40,000 fake items (logos, hats and other bat items) in the last month. To make their point, they showed some 20,000 items at a press conference Tuesday morning in New York City. “We want to make it very clear that although it’s obviously in our interests to clear the markets of these counterfeit items, we are seeking to protect the consumer as well,” said Dan Romanelli, the Warner merchandising chief. “These illegal products are shoddily designed, badly manufactured junk that dupe the buyer.” The wholesale domestic revenues for official Batman items are projected at $250 million. Seizures of the phony items began even before the film’s June 23 opening, and included raids in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles and Florida. Legal actions are also planned in France, West Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Canada and Italy. The confiscated clothing may be donated to charity. “You hate to throw away clothing when there are so many people who need it,” said one executive.