Drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia asked the outdoor apparel company Patagonia to drop its trademark infringement lawsuit, saying it could lead to the erasure of the activist’s name and advocacy.
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Patagonia filed a federal lawsuit in January against Wyn Wiley, Pattie Gonia’s real name, in January. The company alleged that the drag queen had moved away from “discrete use of a persona to engage in activism” to a wide-ranging commercial enterprise when Wiley filed a trademark application seeking exclusive rights to Pattie Gonia for apparel, marketing and events.
The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accused Wiley of breaching an agreement in 2022 that restricted Pattie Gonia from selling branded products or using designs that were “substantially similar” to the company’s logo.
The lawsuit is seeking $1.
In a lengthy statement on Wednesday, Pattie Gonia accused the company of betraying its own mission by filing the suit.
“Patagonia told the media they’re only suing me for $1. What they’re actually trying to do is take away my name permanently and threaten me with more than $1 million dollars in legal fees. This is not a brand conflict,” the statement reads. “This is a corporation trying to erase an activist. This is how corporations bully individuals who cannot match their resources. Because this would take away not only my activism and career, but also the livelihoods of the team I employ.”
Pattie Gonia said they spent the past several months trying to come to a resolution that did not involve the court.
“But in the end, I had two choices: 1. The erasure of my name, my advocacy, my community, and everyone I employ or 2. Fight for myself and fight for us,” the drag queen wrote.
In its own statement on Wednesday, Patagonia also said it tried to “find a path forward that would allow Pattie Gonia to continue their work while also protecting the Patagonia trademark.”
“These conversations have included multiple proposals — each intended to support that path — along with ongoing dialogue and genuine efforts to avoid this ending up in court. Unfortunately, we could not reach an agreement,” the company said.
Pattie Gonia did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday.
Patagonia, which was founded in 1973 and is known for its environmental activism, said in an emailed statement Friday that the lawsuit is not trying to challenge “anyone’s identity or right to advocacy, protest, or creative expression.”
“Protecting the Patagonia trademark is part of protecting the ability of this company to continue doing that work in the future,” the company said, in part. “The last thing we wanted was a legal fight with someone who shares our values, but we must protect our business and employees. “
The lawsuit further alleges that Pattie Gonia’s website for merchandise uses the company’s iconic mountain logo and branding, and cites social media posts where consumers have expressed confusion about whether Pattie Gonia was affiliated with the company.
The drag queen denied using the logo and said the lawsuit cherry-picked “a few examples of playful parody and fan art.” Pattie Gonia also denied there was ever an agreement with the company and said the trademark application was filed after another drag queen lost the rights to use her name.
“I filed to make sure that never happened to me. Not because of Patagonia,” Pattie Gonia wrote.
“Pattie Gonia, is one of the first things in my life I am genuinely, deeply proud of. And the idea that it could be taken away is my worst case scenario,” the drag queen continued, writing that over the years they have used the brand to start a nonprofit and raise over $3.7 million for environmental causes.
The drag queen also accused the company of filing the lawsuit at “the height of anti-LGBTQ+ politics and attacks on the environment.”
In an open letter to the company posted on Instagram, Pattie Gonia, who has 1.7 million followers on the social media platform, asked the company to drop the suit.
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