August 27, 2018: Two Dead in Shooting at Esports Tournament, Burning Man Tries to Emphasize Importance of Consent, Judge Issues Injunction in Comic-Con Trademark Case

1. TWO DEAD IN SHOOTING AT ESPORTS TOURNAMENT: Two people were killed in a shooting at an esports competition in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday. The shooter was a competitor in the event, which took place at a mall. CNN: "Participants had gathered at the Jacksonville Landing Complex, an open-air marketplace with stores, bars, and restaurants along the St. Johns River. David Katz, a 24-year-old gamer from Baltimore, Maryland, was in Jacksonville for the tournament at GLHF Game Bar, in the back of a pizza restaurant. On Sunday, he brought a gun into the venue and opened fire, killing two people. Then he turned the gun on himself, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said. Police have not released a possible motive. Katz used at least one handgun in the shooting, the sheriff said. Nine other people suffered gunshot wounds and two people were injured fleeing the area, Williams said. The victims were all in stable condition at local hospitals, the sheriff said. The horror that unfolded was captured on an online stream of the event, posted the website Twitch. The game abruptly stopped after several shots were heard. ... EA Sports, a video game developer and publisher, condemned the shooting as 'a senseless act of violence.' CompLexity Gaming founder and C.E.O. Jason Lake told CNN that the shooting may make the growing eSports industry reconsider security at events." https://cnn.it/2MAl3u0

2. BURNING MAN TRIES TO EMPHASIZE IMPORTANCE OF CONSENT: The counter-culture festival Burning Man kicked off in the Nevada desert on August 25, and this year organizers are trying to remind attendees that unwanted touching won't be tolerated. Associated Press: "The festival’s on-site Sexual Assault Services department receives five and 20 reports of alleged sexual assault each year, said Burning Man spokesman Jim Graham. Many of those reports involve leering or grabbing, which aren’t considered sexual assault under Nevada law. A few reports each year require involvement from law enforcement. Last year, two people were arrested on suspicion of sexual assault without substantial bodily harm. No arrests related to sexual assault or rape were made the year before. Despite the low arrests, Donna Rae Watson, director of the Bureau of Erotic Discourse, a large camp at Burning Man that teaches people about sex, still hears stories of harassment at the festival from dozens of people each year. 'Scandalous costumes and nudity might be considered inviting. (Others) automatically think consent is implied, but implied consent doesn’t exist,' she said. The organization is doing more to educate participants about consent, what it means and what it applies to. Watson said her group was founded in 2005 after a woman was sexually assaulted at the festival the previous year. The camp, which is not a part of the Burning Man organization, tapes posters inside port-a-potties that define consent." https://bit.ly/2PG92Bi

3. JUDGE ISSUES INJUNCTION IN COMIC-CON TRADEMARK CASE: A California federal judge has issued an injunction in a trademark case involving San Diego Comic-Con and a comic convention in Salt Lake City—the latter of which was forced to change its name from "Comic-Con." The Hollywood Reporter: "San Diego Comic Convention was the plaintiff taking on Dan Farr and Bryan Brandenburg, who ran the Salt Lake Comic Con. At a trial held last winter, San Diego prevailed on its contention that it held valid rights and that Salt Lake was infringing its trademarks. The jury didn't find willfulness, however, and only punished Salt Lake to the tune of $20,000 in corrective advertising. Salt Lake asked U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Battaglia to put aside the ruling and order a new trial. Instead, in a series of orders issued late Thursday, Battaglia has not only upheld the jury's verdict and issued an injunction, but ordered the defendants to pay almost $4 million in attorneys' fees and costs. The decision comes just a week before the Salt Lake convention was about to get underway. Thanks to this court case, it's already been rebranded the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention. Battaglia, in his order on an injunction, has enjoined Salt Lake from 'Comic Con' and 'Comic-Con' and any phonetic equivalents (i.e. ComiKon). Additionally, Farr and Brandenburg can't operate any social media site that incorporates the trademark, nor can they even advertise how the festival they run was 'formerly known as Salt Lake Comic Con.' On the other hand, the judge ruled it would go too far to prevent the phrase 'comic convention' and won't require defendants to destroy all of their already-made merchandise and marketing materials bearing the banned phrases. It's important to note that San Diego has sued or asserted claims against others who operated 'Comic-Cons' around the nation — and most of those cases were put on hold for this one. San Diego vs. Salt Lake was a test case." https://bit.ly/2MXo9be

* LOCAL NEWS *

AUSTIN:  The 25th annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 25-November 1 at the Paramount Theatre and various venues in the city. 

LOS ANGELES:  This year’s Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo, powered by General Tire, will take place September 29-30 at Fairplex in Pomona. The event will feature more than 350 exhibitors.

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

NEW YORK:  The Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade has been cancelled because of the city’s insurance demands. The Cut: https://bit.ly/2wroSa2

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

SAN FRANCISCO:  The San Francisco Opera Opening Gala will take place September 7 at the War Memorial Opera House. 

TORONTO:  The 37th annual Hispanic Fiesta will take place August 31-September 3 at Mel Lastman Square. The food, music, and arts festival will feature 300 performers and food from more than 20 Spanish-speaking countries. 

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, and Ian Zelaya in New York.

BizBash Daily is the must-read digest of event industry news from BizBash.com.

Feed the Sheet: [email protected]

Subscribe: www.bizbash.com/bizbashdaily

Advertise with BizBash: [email protected]