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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact:
July 23, 2015 David Glanzer
COMIC-CON DISPUTES SALT LAKE EVENTS
INTERPRETATION OF TRADEMARK RULING Supplemental Registration Does Not Convey Validity, Ownership or Exclusive Rights
San Diego San Diego Comic Convention, producer of Comic-Con International (CCI),
responded to a press release from Dan Farr Productions regarding the granting of a Supplemental
Trademark Registration for the phrase Salt Lake Comic Con.
We were less surprised by the registration than we were of the organizers take on it,
commented David Glanzer, spokesperson for Comic-Con International. As there is no
opposition process for a Supplemental Registration we of course were not able oppose it,
however we are engaging this matter as part of the normal course of protecting our already
granted and incontestable trademarks.
A clearer understanding of Supplemental Registration might be found at the website for the
International Trademark Association (INTA) wherein it states:
A registration on the Supplemental Register does not provide all the protection of a registration
on the Principal Register. For example, a Supplemental Registration does not convey the
presumptions of validity, ownership and exclusive rights to use the mark that arise with a
registration on the Principal Register. In addition, a Supplemental Registration cannot be used to
prevent the importation of infringing or counterfeit products. Finally, a Supplemental
Registration can never become incontestable.i
Peter Hahn of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, legal counsel for San Diego Comic
Convention, weighed in on the matter by stating, The issuance of a Supplemental Register
Registration has no effect on San Diego Comic Conventions exclusive rights afforded by its
Principle Register Registrations for various marks including the mark Comic-Con. Contrary to
Dan Farr Productions statement, the Supplemental Registration will have no effect on the on-
going infringement litigation in San Diego. San Diego Comic Convention will continue to
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protect its incontestable rights in the Comic-Con mark until Dan Farr Productions discontinues
infringement of the Comic-Con markeven if that means having the Court force Dan Farr
Productions to comply with the law.
i INTA:
http://www.inta.org/TrademarkBasics/FactSheets/Pages/PrincipalvsSupplementalRegister.aspx
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