Cong became the editor of eBooks in English of the series The Scorpions of the Desert and launched the new series of Corto Maltese with the first title released in October 2015.
On the occasion of these two important publishing initiatives, the Cong company created its own official website for the presentation of all of Hugo Pratt’s works, his complete bibliography, new developments, exhibits, and all sponsored events relating to his work.
The Cong company was formed in 1983 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Pratt had moved his residence from France in 1982.
In 1987, on April 24, Pratt transferred the ownership and exercise of copyright of his entire production, past and future, to CONG SA.
Pratt wanted everything to be in his company’s hands for the entire duration of the copyright, in order to give CONG full availability and control of all of his work.
Pratt passed away on August 20, 1995, but the core business of the company has remained the same: to foster initiatives with a view to promoting the “Brand” and the high artistic value of Hugo Pratt’s work.
The CONG offices are located in Switzerland in Grandvaux, a village nestled among the vineyards that overlook Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) , a few twists in the road from the last place of residence chosen by Hugo Pratt.
The Cong company manages and promotes the entire artistic heritage of Hugo Pratt with the goal of acquainting the public with all of his work, in addition to his most famous character. In recent years the company has re-issued titles that were out of print, such as Fanfulla, Capitan Cormorant, and Billy James; published for the first time such works as Sandokan; and released books like Tuttifumetti, a catalog of Pratt’s entire production. Additionally, the company has organized exhibits in Paris, Rome, Siena, Lugano, Milan, Belgium and Portugal.
Management of the rights includes licensing, merchandising, and audiovisuals (TV, Radio, Web, etc.).
Corto Maltese is an internationally registered trademark. Hugo Pratt’s name and signature are trademark protected. His work and everything derived from it are legally covered by the ©CONG SA brand.
