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Appeals court lifts gag order in Comic Con court battle

(Steve Griffin  |  The Salt Lake Tribune)  People make their way to the 2017 Salt Lake Comic Con at the Salt Palace Convention Center Friday September 22, 2017.

(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) People make their way to the 2017 Salt Lake Comic Con at the Salt Palace Convention Center Friday September 22, 2017.

An appeals court is lifting a gag order in a court fight over naming rights between two rival pop-culture conventions.

Organizers of Salt Lake Comic Con said Monday they're taking to social media once again to make their case against rivals in San Diego after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with them.

The panel decided an order barring Salt Lake's social-media posts about the case violated their freedom of speech. San Diego had argued their Utah rival's vigorous online posturing could taint the jury pool.

The order comes as the case heads for trial in late November.

Salt Lake co-founder Bryan Brandenburg says they're going to try crowdfunding to help pay legal bills topping $1 million.

San Diego did not immediately return a message seeking comment.