# Angoulême International Comics Festival management dispute > Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/angoulme-international-comics-festival-management-dispute > Updated: 2026-11-04T08:46:08.000Z. Sources: 2. Developments: 2. A legal dispute emerged regarding the management of the Angoulême International Comics Festival following years of tension and author boycotts over the practices of 9e Art+ and the FIBD association. The plaintiffs sought to annul a call for projects by the Association for the Development of Comics in Angoulême (ADBDA) and requested €300,000 in damages, alleging unfair competition. In October 2026, the Angoulême judicial court rejected the lawsuit, stating there was no evidence of imminent harm or risk of public confusion. The court noted that the new service provider, Morgane Group, was required to establish a distinct brand identity. Following the ruling, 9e Art+ and FIBD were ordered to pay €14,000 in legal costs. By November 2026, the city announced rebranding efforts for the upcoming event, which will be known as ‘Angoulême Bande dessinée’ for its January 2027 edition. The new festival format will include six exhibitions and a streamlined selection of approximately forty competing titles. ## Timeline ### 2026-11-04: Angoulême announces new cultural initiatives and festival rebranding Angoulême is launching the ‘Bulles de culture’ educational program for primary students and rebranding its international comic festival as ‘Angoulême Bande dessinée’ for 2027. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/angoulme-announces-new-cultural-initiatives-and-festival-rebranding ### 2026-10-14: Angoulême Court rejects 9e Art+ lawsuit over comic festival management A French court has dismissed a lawsuit by former Angoulême Comics Festival organizers 9e Art+ and FIBD, rejecting claims of unfair competition and clearing the path for a new organizer in 2027. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/angoulme-court-rejects-9eart-appeal-regarding-comic-festival-management --- Cite as: Angoulême International Comics Festival management dispute. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/angoulme-international-comics-festival-management-dispute