Lanka Comic Con wins legal battle

Lanka Comic Con is no stranger to all comic book enthusiasts in Sri Lanka. The trustees of Lanka Comic Con are a group of comic book enthusiasts who made a revolutionary change in the comic book culture in Sri Lanka through their trust established in January 2016. 

The trust sought to create opportunities for Sri Lankan comic book enthusiasts to immerse themselves in the rich culture and art of comic books, and celebrate the vibrant world of the medium. For this purpose the Geek Club of Sri Lanka was founded, creating a platform for Sri Lankan comic book enthusiasts to discuss and keep abreast of the ever-changing comic book culture.

Several comic book-related events, such as cosplay events, were introduced by the trustees of Lanka Comic Con and organised through the Geek Club of Sri Lanka, where Sri Lankans would get the opportunity to show off their talents and ingenuity in dressing as their favourite superheroes. 

Through numerous events held on the invitation of Sri Lanka Cyber Games, the trustees were able to also give an opportunity to Sri Lankan comic book artist and writers to showcase their own talents in this medium of art.

In 2015, the trustees of the Lanka Comic Con trust took the next step in the evolution of Sri Lanka’s comic book culture by organising Sri Lanka’s first comic book convention, in line with international comic book conventions such as the San Diego Comic Con. The comic book convention held at the BMICH alongside the Sri Lanka Cyber Games was a rousing success and the trustees of Lanka ComiCon added the convention to their annual calendar and applied to register the mark Lanka Comi Con under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003.

Disputes arose between the Chief Organizer of Sri Lanka Cyber Games and the trustees of Lanka ComicConin connection with the ownership of the mark ‘Lanka ComiCon’ and legal action was filed by the trustees of Lanka ComiCon, through F J & G De Sarams, in the Commercial High Court Colombo. Hon. ShiranGunaratne, hearing the submissions made by Counsel for the Plaintiff, Trustees of Lanka ComicCon, Avindra Rodrigo, Attorney-at-Law, appearing with MSamarasinghe and of Counsel for the Defendant Chief Organizer of Sri Lanka Cyber Games,Dinal Philips, President’s Counsel, appearing with. BuddhikeIllangatillake,  granted the interim injunction sought by the Plaintiff preventing theChief Organizer of Sri Lanka Cyber Games from interfering with the use of the mark ‘Lanka ComicCon’ by the trustees of Lanka ComicCon and also preventing the defendant from using the mark ‘Lanka ComicCon’.

Since the dispute, Lanka Comic Con held the comic book convention for the first time on its own in 2016 to even greater success.