Settlement May be Resolved over Utah Comic Con Naming Rights

The organizers of Salt Lake Comic Con and San Diego Comic-Con may be on the verge of resolving an ongoing name-trademark dispute.

Attorneys for the two pop-culture conventions asked a federal judge to give them more time to work on a possible agreement on name rights, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.

Both parties will meet with the magistrate judge on Wednesday in San Diego.

San Diego Comic-Con, considered the flagship of the popular convention circuit, filed a trademark violation lawsuit against the Salt Lake convention in August 2014.

San Diego’s organizers say they have legal ownership of the term “comic con” in all its forms.

However, the convention only owns the rights to “comic-con” with a hyphen.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark office is currently withholding judgment. It suspended its own ruling in November until the federal case could be resolved. In July, the office sided with Salt Lake and awarded it a trademark for its name. Officials said “comic con” was too generic to trademark but “Salt Lake Comic Con” was specific enough to qualify.

The long-established San Diego Comic-Con started in 1970. Since then, it has grown into the Holy Grail of pop culture conventions, drawing self-described geeks as well as Hollywood studios and actors looking to create buzz for upcoming projects.

In comparison, the Salt Lake Comic Con debuted in September 2013 with an estimated 72,000 people turning out. More than 120,000 people attended the three-day convention the following year.

The convention scored its top celebrity appearance to date when Captain America himself, Chris Evans, attended last year’s event.

Related:

• Utah Comic Con Believes Long Trademark Dispute Coming to End
• Utah Comic Con Granted Trademark Amid Legal Battle
• San Diego Comic–Con Files Trademark Suit Against Utah Convention