On December 17th, 2018, Further Confusion posted an update to its Code of Conduct rules. The update includes a stipulation that membership can be revoked by an attendee's history of sexually predatory behavior.

For the safety of our attendees, Further Confusion does not allow attendance by those with a history of sexual violence or pedophilia. If you are unsure whether your ability to attend is affected by this rule, please reach out to [email protected]

Update 10:42PM: This code of conduct has been updated further, details marked in article below

This announcement has been made around the time where pictures of a fursuiter named Growly (aka TORA) have been shared on Twitter with furs stating their frustrations about his presence at Midwest Furfest this year. Tora has been a fur fan since 1999, and is infamous due to having served time in prison over sexual abuse of a minor, being arrested and convicted for these activities in 2001. After serving his sentence, and serving three years probation, he has returned to fandom activities. Suspicion of his behavior around minors continues to this very day as his removal from Fur Affinity in 2009 was prompted by being confronted about his interactions in private note system with minors.

Deep in the fuzzy heart of Texas in February 2018, Furry Fiesta had convened at a brand new facility in Dallas to compensate for their continued growth in attendance. When the festivities came to a close, it was announced that 3,866 were in attendance. This number ups its ranking in the list of most populous furry conventions, it now being the fifth largest.

It replaces Further Confusion, one of the original large furry conventions from the early years of furry. The convention from San Jose, California has always had a strong following. It’s pilot year in 1999 saw it as the third largest furry convention behind the first major gathering of Confurence, another Californian convention, and the soon to be leader of the pack Anthrocon, which was in the Philadelphia area at that time.

Further Confusion is currently in a creepingly slow decline since peaking in 2014 at 3560. As of 2018 they are now at 3415, which is still higher than they were the year before they reached their peak. This stagnation in growth can be more likely contributed to factors of seasonal competition from other growing conventions rather than the Californian convention’s own actions. Furry Fiesta, being among them, which occurs only a month after it. But also Biggest Little Fur Con (Reno, Nevada) which is geographically within 4 hours San Jose, both contribute to some stiff competition for the long running event.

Soron's application to register the FurryCon logo as a service mark is proceeding, but only after the addition of a disclaimer of exclusive use of the term "furry con".

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declined to register the New York state furry convention's name as a mark in August 2013, after identifying the terms 'furry' and 'con' as "merely descriptive":

“Furry” refers to “fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics.” - “Con” is a “common abbreviation for convention”.

At that time, a "furry" was also cited by the examiner as:

someone who is part of a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics

Various Wikipedia and WikiFur articles were used as references, as well as George Gurley's "Pleasures of the Fur" in Vanity Fair, the Anthrocon, Furry 4 Life, Furry Fandom Infocenter, Furry Connection North and Georgia Furs websites, and a con report on SoFurry.

Fred Patten will have a new anthology, Five Fortunes, on sale at Further Confusion 2014. The 415-page tome, published by FurPlanet, presents five brand-new novellas by fan-favorite Furry authors, four of them featuring their popular characters or settings:

• “Chosen People” by Phil Geusz, set in his Book of Lapism world.
• “Going Concerns” by Watts Martin, set in his Ranea world.
• “When a Cat Loves a Dog” by Mary E. Lowd, set in her Otters in Space world.
• “Piece of Mind” by Bernard Doove, set in his Chakat Universe.
• The fifth story is “Huntress” by Renee Carter Hall, in a new setting of tribal anthropomorphic African lions.

The wraparound cover is by Terrie Smith, illustrating Phil Geusz’s “Chosen People”.

Results have been announced in Anthropomorphic Arts and Education's trademark logo competition.

Helvetica Bold (Foofers), creator of the winning design (later modified), will receive a patron-level membership for Further Confusion 2014 and promotional items.

Runners-up Latte Koffeefox, GreenReaper, bcokami, Floe, and I.M. Weasel get a sponsor registration and will be featured in the con-book.

All 33 entries were anonymized and identified as numbers through the board's selection process.

Organizers of Bay Area furry convention Further Confusion are looking to update its 16-year-old logo.

Entries should incorporate AAE's service mark, "FurCon", and must be "clean and easy to understand", look good in color and black and white, and be PG-rated. They should not use "specific critters or characters", and must be available in vector format.

Multiple entries may be submitted by 12AM PT, July 4; the winner will be picked by the end of July. The selected designer will receive a FC2014 patron membership and merchandise; there will also be five runner-up sponsor prizes. All six will be featured online and in the conbook.

Public response so far has not been positive, though a few artists seem interested. The submission deadline has been extended from June 14.

Update (14 Jul): The selection and announcement of winners has been pushed back to the next FC staff meeting (August 17).

Further Confusion 2013 saw guests of honor Chris Savino and Ursula Vernon on the stage to answer questions from staff and attendees. Here are their responses:

Q: Could you give us a brief introduction?

Chris: [...rattles off storyboarding, animation, writing and directing credits for shows noted in his Wikipedia article, including Rocko's Modern Life, Ren & Stimpy, Dexter's Lab and The Powerpuff Girls...], written a few episodes of My Little Pony, which is probably what some of you care about - it's so cool to see people who appreciate what you've done; we're so sheltered by TV, we never get to see you, so for all of you, the full house.

Ursula: Ursula Vernon, artist and author; did finally finish the webcomic Digger, which won the Hugo Award for Best Graphic Series . . . I do a series for children called Dragonbreath, 8-12ish, I also do a lot of art, I do furry art, I go to furry conventions, I love you people man . . . *applause* . . . and that's sot of what I do.

Sprout: So Chris, you've done a lot of awesome TV shows, so what exactly have you done for each of those throughout your career?

For those who missed out on the news over the last three months, here's a quick roundup.

2013 opened with a feature on the business of fursuit-making, as detailed by Snap E. Tiger.

Further Confusion 2013 garnered some coverage, including a Kotaku contributor's weekend at a furry convention – which started out with party-hopping, followed by a fursuit parade (admittedly, the experience for many FC attendees). The author reached the [adjective][species] statistics panel before returning to the party floor . . . and then, the dance floor.

SanJose.com also provided coverage of FC, albeit limited to an apparently remote Q&A session with the con's media representative, Chairo. The brief piece was fact-filled, yet in comparison with Kotaku did not venture deeply into the motivations of those attending.

Sneaking in at the end of the month was a cover piece in Nashville LGBT monthly Out & About (subtitled "It's not all about sex in fur suits"), and a photo-heavy article of the "everyday lives of furries at home", featuring the furry photography of Tom Broadbent. [tip: HappyWulf]

We're at the point where Further Confusion will start to come together very quickly. It's an exciting time for us, but also a busy time. This is some of what we will be working on for you!

So with that in mind, lets get this party started!

Emmy Award-winning CBS Eye on the Bay correspondent Dave Stoelk came to San Jose in 2011 to do a story on "Other Conventions" in the Bay. Further Confusion topped their list.

We had a great time putting together the piece during the convention. Finally, 16 months later on May 2, the results. The piece followed the show's format, highlighting the fun and wacky side of our con with primary focus on the most obvious visual aspect, fursuits.

While I would have hoped for a bit more information as to why we exist and what we have done for the community, the segment portrays FurCon in a fun and positive light.

CBS News (different from Eye on the Bay) came to FurCon in 2010 and did a wonderful job in providing much of our mission critical information to the public.

Cheers and Chirrs! — Chairo (FurCon / AAE Director of Media and Public Relations)

A piece of Skyrim fan-art by Blotch sold for $5500 at Further Confusion 2012's art show last weekend. [sibe/reddit]

The mixed-media work depicts a battle between a leopard-like Khajiit and a non-morphic dragon. [dA, FA]

Videl, the winning bidder, was enthusiastic about his purchase:

It was totally worth it! Love the work of Blotch and love Skyrim!!

The most expensive furry art show piece sold to date is Goldenwolf's "Eyes of the Night", which was auctioned for $10,000 at Further Confusion 2004.

Update (29 Jan): Videl says he was bidding on behalf of his roommates as well as himself.

Two galleries in downtown San Jose will be hosting open-to-the-public furry art shows concurrent with Further Confusion 2012, from January 12 (Thursday) to 21 (Saturday).

The stated objective of these shows is to get high-quality furry art out in the public, and to introduce San Jose's downtown gallery scene to the wealth of furry artwork. Local news media representatives will be invited to visit.

There is an open call for artwork, including con-badges, which will be printed by the show; the submission deadline is December 31. The shows are being organized independently of Further Confusion by its Art Track events lead, B. Root, creator of webcomic The Dawn Chapel.

The KALEID gallery and comic book publishers Slave Labor Graphics are hosting the shows.

The December edition of the newsletter includes holiday wishes from the chair, special guests and events, the end of pre-registration on December 30, an updated pet policy, notice of changing hotel room rates, a call for submissions to FC: Unleashed, updated dealer information and instructions, a request for volunteers, and notice of the next staff meeting on January 7.

In this issue:
1. Further Confusion Picnic and Campout
2. Calling potential panelists!
3. Convention book call out to artists and writers
4. Furry Market Place spaces still available
5. Next Staff Meeting

The Further Confusion campout will be held September 9-11, with the picnic on the 10th. FC: Unleashed! is looking for acts and now has a YouTube channel. Several staff programming lead positions are available, and there are openings in the species-track and ops departments. Art show and Furry Market Place applications are now being accepted. The dealers' room remains full. Con book submissions are open. The next staff meeting is October 15, at 1PM.