As some of you may know, our company Themecon SF and F, Inc. (d/b/a SheVaCon) has been involved in a legal battle over the rights to use the name “Shevacon.” In addition, several individuals who were formerly affiliated with us, but have now organized a competing convention, have sued us demanding certain documents and asking the court to dissolve our corporation. The following information is to clear up any confusion by informing our loyal fans of exactly what has been happening over the past few months, and to ask for your help in saving SheVaCon.

Background

Themecon SF&F, Inc. was created as a nonprofit, nonstock corporation in 1993. Our goal was to organize the best science fiction and fantasy convention in Virginia. We named the convention “SheVaCon.” SheVaCon I occurred in 1993 and we have organized this convention every year for the past 18 years, including SheVaCon XVIII on February 26-28, 2010. We have booked the Sheraton in Roanoke for SheVaCon XIX on March 4 – 6, 2011 (mark your calendars!).

What Happened?

In 2009, Themecon appointed Rod Belcher as its Gaming Director. Mr. Belcher became dissatisfied with the way Themecon was being managed. Instead of taking appropriate action to either (1) replace the current Themecon Board with people of his liking, or (2) form a competing organization using a name other than SheVaCon, he decided to organize a group of individuals, including Keith Stanley (a former director of Themecon), Phyllis Van Eps (a former secretary of Themecon), and Robert Flack, to form a competing organization using the SheVaCon name.

The actions of Mr. Belcher and others included the following:

1. He began a campaign of online postings to disparage Themecon and its Board of Directors, and had Facebook take down Themecon’s SheVaCon Facebook site.
2. On March 24, he formed a Virginia corporation named “Shevacon, Inc.”
3. On March 25, Shevacon, Inc. sent a cease and desist letter to Themecon, demanding that Themecon stop using the name “Shevacon.”
4. On March 26, Shevacon, Inc. filed a trademark application for the mark “Shevacon.”
5. At the Ravencon convention on April 10, flyers were distributed that said “SheVaCon is Under New Management” and began publicizing SheVaCon 19.
6. His company Cosmic Castle registered the domain name shevacon.net and shevacon.info on April 3. Since Themecon has owned the domain name shevacon.org since 2001, Cosmic Castle’s registration and use of these domain names appears to be a blatant violation of the federal Anti-Cybersquatting Piracy Act.

Finally (and you won’t believe this!), although the individuals named above were either organizers, directors or officers of Shevacon, Inc. (the same company who had been attempting to discredit Themecon), they actually had the cojones to file a lawsuit against Themecon on May 21, claiming that they were still Directors of Themecon! The lawsuit demanded that Themecon produce confidential documents and also asked the court to dissolve Themecon.

So Where Does This Leave Us?

We have been paying legal fees for the past several months to fight for our name Shevacon and to resolve this conflict. Unfortunately, however, we have always kept convention fees low and therefore we do not have much money in reserve in order to fight legal battles. Our opinion is that these individuals and their new corporation are trying to put us out of business and destroy our ability to provide a great convention next year. We are determined to not let this happen, and we are asking for your help.

So What Can I Do To Help?

In the past we have asked for your support for scholarship funds. We greatly appreciate your past generosity and cannot express how fortunate we are to have such a giving and loyal community of fans. This time, instead of scholarship funds, we are asking for your help in paying the fees for our legal defense. With your support now, we can save SheVaCon and keep the convention membership fee at a reasonable price.

We would not be asking our fans and attendees for this kind of contribution if it were not necessary. However, because of our current legal situation, we are reaching out to our loyal fans and the community for support.

If you would like to contribute, we have provided the secure PayPal donation button below. Be sure to include your name and contact info, as there will be a special section in our convention Program book dedicated to those who are able to help. :)

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Themecon/SheVaCon Staff