Just in time to get you in the mood for Open Reg this weekend, we're hearing tantalizing news on the long-running battle between San Diego Comic-Con and Salt Lake Comic Con - which you'll be thrilled to hear has finally gone to trial.
I know, I know - you thought this was settled somehow, or at least died from lack of interest. It wasn't, it hasn't. If there's one thing we know about CCI, it's that they are indefatigable when it comes to righting perceived wrongs.
(If you're newish in these parts, CCI is suing SLCC for trademark infringement and basically trying to mooch off their SDCC brand magic. This has dragged on for years and has eclipsed the Zombie Walk/car accident kerfuffle as the biggest court case associated with SDCC. You can read a lot of the coverage, court documents and commentary on SLCC's dedicated page.)
from SaltLakeComicCon.com
Opening arguments began last week. And make no mistake, this trial is of interest to every Con out there, since it centers on whether CCI owns "Comic-Con," "Comicon," "Comic Con" etc. despite a jillion different events calling themselves such. And it's of significant interest to Con attendees, especially those of us who love CCI for its special brand of absurdity. Only through this lawsuit have we learned:
- CCI commissioned a study which proved Comic-Con has a higher brand recognition than Jello.
- People were attending Comic-Cons in the 1960s, before SDCC was even born. Martin Luther King, Jayne Mansfield, Jim Morrison, Robert Kennedy and Sharon Tate could have attended Comic-Con.
- Other Cons like Rose City have struck licensing deals with CCI in a preemptive CYA move.
- Emails from SLCC founders include talk like "leverage San Diego Comic Con to boost our brand here better."
- George R.R. Martin attended the first Comic-Con at the tender age of 15.
- CCI has allegedly been deluged with calls and emails from people complaining about a bad experience with SLCC - people who believed they are associated.
To fully experience the convenient nature of that last point, I recommend reading Bleeding Cool's coverage.
If you're beyond sick of the political maelstrom we're all swirling around in these days, this trial could provide an entertaining distraction. Hopefully we get some scandalous juror interviews. But regardless of what plays out now, I don't see a resolution any time soon - there will almost certainly be an appeal. Stay tuned.
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