The world’s largest comic-book convention, San Diego Comic-Con, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against their Salt Lake City counterparts over the use of “comic con” in their name. But UAE organisers aren’t worried that the same could happen to them.
It all started when Salt Lake Comic Con representatives drove into San Diego Comic-Con in a branded vehicle to advertise their own convention. Now, they are being sued for their name.
Arafaat Ali Khan, organiser of the Middle East Film and Comic Con, referred to Salt Lake’s advertising antics as “cheeky”, but said the lawsuit is no cause for worry for other conventions around the globe.
“I honestly don’t think it would affect us over here, because there are a number of cons all around the world that use that terminology, to be honest. It’s not just us,” said Khan.
“It’s something between those two conventions that brought this to the surface, probably, and it’s nothing that conventions around the world — or other conventions in the States, really, I feel — need to be worried about.”
It will be business as usual for MEFCC next year, which will mark their fourth annual convention. They are promising a bigger and better presence.
“Usually we invite [artists from the US and the UK] as guests, but now, they’re saying, ‘Hey, do you have space for us? We’ll bring ourselves down!’, which is such a huge step; we’re so happy to hear that from people. It means we’re getting onto the international circuit,” said Khan.
This year’s MEFCC took place in April at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Dates for next year will be announced before the end of 2014.
