The Eastercon trademark

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Eastercon trademark, and who owns it?

Eastercon is a trademark registered in the UK for:

It is jointly owned by Harry Payne and Tim Kirk.

Why?

The Wikipedia article on Eastercons puts it quite nicely when it says the trademark was taken out in "a momentary lack of disorganisation". To put it another way, Harry didn't duck fast enough (Oh really? I distinctly remember you volunteering - Tim) and Tim agreed to take on joint ownership to prevent any disruption if Harry ended up under a bus.

Do people running Eastercons have to get permission to use the trademark?

Yes.

Isn't this officious and bureaucratic?

Slightly, but as little as possible. It's just a matter of getting a letter from us and sticking with our Terms and Conditions.

What are the terms and conditions?

  1. One of the convention's publications must state that: "Eastercon is a registered trade mark and is used with permission". Whoever's in charge of publications gets to pick which one.
  2. If you have a website promoting your Eastercon which is no longer going to be maintained, you should clear all mentions of "Eastercon" before letting the URL lapse. This will reduce the chance of spammers / scammers using the word for their own ends.
  3. That's it.

Do people writing about Eastercons, or thinking of running one, have to get permission to use the trademark?

No. That would be very officious and bureaucratic, and we have no desire to see our names in Private Eye under the heading: "What an utterly pathetic way to make a living". Or getting lynched by the rest of UK fandom.

What about the Eastercon Internet domain, FaceBook account, Twitter account, etc.?

See above re. writing about Eastercons. Life is too short to keep track of the many, many ways of constructing online presences.

What if you decide to sell out to MegaCons PLC (or something similar)?

See above re. getting lynched.

When does the trademark expire, and what will happen then?

The trademark expires in April 2033. If Eastercons are still going then, then we (or whoever has the trademark in trust then) will renew it.

And if they don't think it's a good idea?

Then the trademark lapses, and UK fandom takes its chances on somebody else picking it up.

What happens to the trademark if either of you die?

It passes to someone in UK fandom, named specifically in our respective wills, with a charge that they name their replacement in their will.

And that would be...?

Telling.