Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: Blue SOnja, conan, red sonja

Creators Getting Cease And Desists Over Conan And Red Sonja

Creators are getting Cease & Desists Over Conan And Red Sonja these days, as both John Allison and Ben Dunn have to make changes.

Published Thu, 02 May 2024 10:57:07 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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Article Summary

John Allison received a cease & desist for his Conan webcomic from Conan Properties International.
Conan is public domain in the UK but remains copyrighted in the USA until 2028.
Ben Dunn's Blue Sonja met a similar fate, receiving legal notice from Red Sonja LLC.
Dunn's solution is renaming his character to Kendra and modifying the design to avoid litigation.

Earlier this year comic creator of Bad Machinery and Giant Days, John Allison, posted to his website about a new webcomic strip. "A new story starts next week, in three parts – CONAN: THE BLOOD EGG. Welcome to my new Hyborian Age, an epoch that lasts 21 weeks, or 22 if I have to have a week off between chapters at some point. While this move into the thrilling, tempestuous, and most importantly, public domain world of Conan may seem jarring, perhaps there is something about this cover image that will hint at a certain familiarity to the cast."

The cast of Bad Machinery there. But a little while afterwards, it was not to be. The strips were removed and Allison posted, "Following a cease and desist notice filed on behalf of Conan Properties International (CPI) LLC I have taken down my Conan & The Blood Egg comic. While to the best of my understanding, Conan The Barbarian is in the public domain in the UK (where I live and work), I do not have the time or the energy to contest this. I made this story for my own and your amusement and it has – I think understandably – ceased to be amusing. I apologise for the break in updates, and that you won't get to see the remaining half of the story. I was ten pages (of 66) off finishing drawing it. In retrospect, my mistake was starting to draw it in the first place."

Conan is in the public domain in the UK. However, posting it online means that it is also considered to be published wherever it is read, including the USA, where it is not public domain until 2028. But he's not alone. Ben Dunn of Antarctic Press announced his attention to publish a new comic called Blue Sonja. In 2022, he posted "Back in the day AP used to do adult comics. One of better sellers was VELVET TOUCH. I had started to do a parody of the sword and sorcery genre but with a adult twist called BLUE SONJA. I did a concept cover but never went beyond that." Two years later, he was giving it a go.

He too received a cease and desist notice, this one from Red Sonja LLC of Encino California, saying "It has recently come to our attention that each of you and your company Antarctic Press (hereinafter collectively, "You") have and/or further intend, for Your own respective commercial purposes, without authorization or other permission from RSL, to manufacture, market, advertise, promote, display, distribute, publish and offer for sale an unauthorized and infringing "Blue Sonya" comic book series and/or graphic novel featuring a character (the "Infringing Character) which is based on and strikingly similar to the established Red Sonja Character (See Exhibit "A' for examples). Please be advised that by engaging in such conduct, You are and would be violating the Copyright and Trademark Laws of the United States and infringing upon the valuable rights of RSL. The infringement is so apparent and evidently deliberate that no detailed analysis is required. You are using the Red Sonja character, changing her hair from red to blue and titling her "Blue Sonya", to confuse the market with a competitive comic book series and/or graphic novel. By such conduct You are and intend further to, among other matters and without limitation, engage in copyright infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin and infringement dilution of Red Sonja's trademark in violation of applicable federal, state and international laws."

Ben Dunn posted a solution to Facebook. "BLUE SONYA is DEAD. Long live KENDRA! Yes. I am afraid that the BLUE SONYA character can no longer be used by me. But fear not, she will under go a re-design and be renamed KENDRA: SELL SWORD. This should appease the litigation gods (I hope). I wanted to to take time to thank you all for your support and for all the tremendous fan art but it is time to move on and it is my hope that you will continue in your support. Stay tuned as we will be back!… introducing KENDRA: sword maiden blue! She is a sword maiden blue who has magical armor and a sword. My brother suggested CYAN. What do you think?"