San Diego Comic Con, the biggest comic event of the year, has allegedly sent a cease and desist letter to the smaller Salt Lake Comic Con over the use of the term “comic con,” which, according to SLCC, SDCC is claiming as their trademark. SLCC responded with a press release, reprinted below, claiming that “comic con” is a generic trademark and anyone should be allowed to use it.
In a press release, SLCC founder Bryan Brandenburg explained his case:
“San Diego Comic-Con International is threatening not only us, but all the other Comic Cons by trying to prohibit them from using the term for their events. San Diego Comic-Con attempted to trademark ‘Comic Con’ in 1995 and the application failed. Furthermore, precedence for the mark ‘Comic Con’ was set when Denver Comic Con received a trademark for their convention on November 26, 2013. Nobody owns the words ‘Comic Con’ (short for comic convention) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office has already ruled on this.”
Comic-Con International (organizers of SDCC) then responded thusly:
“We are the registered owner of the Comic-Con trademark and confusingly similar variants. When confusion arises with regard to our name, we are obligated to protect our mark.”
