Patagonia Sues Drag Queen Pattie Gonia Over Activist’s Trademark

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Drag queen and activist Pattie Gonia infringed the trademarks of outdoor clothing and equipment company Patagonia Inc. by selling products using a nearly identical copy of its branding, Patagonia told a federal court.

Pattie Gonia had earlier made a commitment to respect Patagonia’s trademark rights but is now violating that agreement, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The suit targets Entrepreneur Enterprises Inc., doing business as Pattie Gonia Productions.

It comes after Pattie Gonia, who advocates on environmental and LGBTQ issues, filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to claim the exclusive right to the “Pattie Gonia” brand for apparel, marketing services, speaking services, and more.

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In email communications about the usage of the name, Pattie Gonia and her business partner responded to Patagonia’s concerns saying they have “never and will never reference the brand Patagonia’s logo or brand,” according to a copy included in the complaint.

They added there was “plenty of room” for both to “play in this box” and said they “trust Patagonia will stay on their side and we will stay on ours.”

Patagonia said in its lawsuit, however, that “given Pattie Gonia’s failure to follow through on the limitations the parties had discussed,” the company believes Pattie Gonia “will not stop compromising Patagonia’s famous brand” unless a court steps in.

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