SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Salt Lake Comic Con (http://saltlakecomiccon.com/) announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USTPO) has granted Dan Farr Productions the trademark for the name Salt Lake Comic Con®.
The trademark (Reg. No. 4,774,453 Serial # 86-353,123) was issued on July 14, 2015 and is for: “Education and entertainment services, namely, organizing, producing, and conducting conventions in the fields of gaming, comics, television, movies, technology, science fiction, fantasy, and popular culture for entertainment purposes.”
The trademark specifies that no claim is made to the exclusive right to use “comic con” apart from the mark as shown.
“The United States Patent and Trademark Office had already ruled that 'comic con' was 'nondescript' and now they have granted us a trademark for 'Salt Lake Comic Con.' We’re confident that this decision from the USTPO will virtually eliminate this ongoing legal battle and allow us to prepare for another record-breaking show this September,” said Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer. “By granting us a trademark for ‘Salt Lake Comic Con’, the trademark office is literally declaring our right to not only use comic con in our name, but that we are distinguished in the marketplace. It further declares that San Diego’s trademarked name is NOT ‘confusingly similar’ to our trademarked name, which is the nexus of the lawsuit.”
The trademark ruling comes almost a year after San Diego Comic-Con International first sent Salt Lake Comic Con a cease and desist letter demanding that Dan Farr Productions stop using the term “comic con” in their name. The cease and desist letter set off a lawsuit and countersuit that was, until this point, heading to trial.
“We were confident naming ourselves Salt Lake Comic Con was appropriate based on the precedent of so many other groups before us and our legal advice before we began its use. We held our ground on this not only for our own benefit but for all of the other groups who may not have been able to defend themselves,” said Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con Founder and Show Producer. ‘’Now hopefully we (and many others around the country) can fully focus on producing exciting comic book related fan events called comic cons. Maybe, in some small way, we have played the role of heroes in this battle.”
Salt Lake Comic Con is represented by Maschoff Brennan, a leading intellectual property and complex litigation firm, in the San Diego Comic Convention, vs. Dan Farr Productions lawsuit. Maschoff Brennan attorneys have been recognized by their clients and peers as being the California “IP Attorney of the Year,” and are named among the “Best Lawyers in America” and Utah’s “Legal Elite.”
Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 is scheduled for September 24-26, 2015 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, and now is the third largest comic con in the country. Their inaugural event was the largest first year comic con in North American history. Show organizers recently announced that Chris Evans, star of the Captain America movie series and The Avengers will be at the show on Saturday, September 26, 2015. This will be Evans’s first Comic Con that will include photo opportunities and autographs. There is a complete guest list on the Salt Lake Comic Con website.
For more details about the legal case with San Diego Comic-Con International visit the San Diego Comic-Con vs Salt Lake Comic Con resource page. For more information about Salt Lake Comic Con or to buy tickets visit the Salt Lake Comic Con website at http://saltlakecomiccon.com/.
ABOUT SALT LAKE COMIC CON:
Salt Lake Comic Con® is organized by Dan Farr Productions in partnership with ABC4/CW30 of the Nexstar Broadcasting Group. Dan Farr Productions is an event and marketing group devoted to organizing events, launching and acquiring new shows, and partnering with premium celebrities and brands in the pop culture arena. Dan Farr Productions is dedicated to producing spectacular celebrations of popular culture that lead the market in providing exceptional and rewarding experiences for our consumers, fans, celebrity guests, vendors and partners. Find out more at: www.SaltLakeComicCon.com, www.abc4.com/.
Note to Editors:
Salt Lake Comic Con
http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com
Tickets
http://saltlakecomiccon.com/slcc-2015-tickets/
Master Guest Schedule
http://saltlakecomiccon.com/2015_master-guest-schedule/
Press Photos – Attribute Salt Lake Comic Con
http://goo.gl/1zMRCv
