The organizers of Salt Lake Comic Con have filed a counterclaim against San Diego Comic Convention, asking the court to invalidate and cancel the non-profit’s trademark on "Comic-Con" and "Comic Con International."  The counterclaim was filed along with a response to the lawsuit San Diego filed alleging infringement of its marks (see "San Diego Comic-Con Sues Salt Lake Comic Con").

The Salt Lake organizers argue that there are other conventions using "Comic Con," including Baltimore Comic Con and New York Comic Con, and that SDCC has allowed those uses.  It also contends that the term "comic con" is generic, and that the public "does not associate these words with any particular source of such conventions."

As we pointed out in our earlier article (linked above), some convention organizers have changed their usage of "Comic-Con" or in how it was presented, but no suits over the marks have previously been filed (or at least publicized).
 
If this case goes to trial, it will determine the extent to which SDCC can protect its marks, or whether, as the Salt Lake organizers argue, its marks cannot be protected.