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<\/p>\nA drag queen vs an outdoor clothing brand: welcome to the latest trademark fight making headlines.<\/p>\n
US drag queen Pattie Gonia has urged outdoor apparel company Patagonia to drop a lawsuit that claims she is “irreparably harming” the brand’s “goodwill” with her stage name’s likeness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pattie Gonia, a climate activist, argues the suit is an attempt by a major company to “erase an activist”.<\/p>\n
We break down everything you need to know.<\/p>\n
Quickly, explain how we got here<\/p>\n
Patagonia is an an outdoor apparel company based in California.<\/p>\n
It calls itself a sustainable brand that has contributed “more than $US240 million to environmental organisations”.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It also gets its name from the geographical location in South America, which includes the Andes mountain range.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A sunset over the Andes mountains in Patagonia, Argentina.\u00a0 (Reuters: Carlos Barria)<\/p>\n
Pattie Gonia is an Oregon-based drag queen (real name Wyn Wiley) who has extended her drag into environmental activism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She became the first person to deliver a TED talk in full drag last year, and is also a 2023 TIME magazine Next Gen Leader.<\/p>\n
The pair’s conflict publicly began in January when the brand launched a trademark infringement lawsuit against Pattie Gonia.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It followed a trademark application by the drag queen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What does Katy Perry’s loss in the High Court mean for her business?<\/a><\/p>\n Australian fashion designer Katie Perry has won her long-running trademark battle against pop star Katy Perry, but questions about whether the singer will be able to sell her clothing merchandise as part of any future tours remain.<\/p>\n The lawsuit claimed Pattie Gonia was compromising the brand’s trademark by creating “a nearly-identical copy” of its logo.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Patagonia has been and will continue to be irreparably harmed,” the suit alleged.<\/p>\n “No amount of money damages can adequately compensate Patagonia if it loses the ability to control its marks.”<\/p>\n Now, for the first time, the drag queen has addressed the suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n What does Pattie Gonia say?\u00a0<\/p>\n The drag queen said the lawsuit went against the brand’s core mission of being “in the business to save our home planet”.<\/p>\n In an open letter to Patagonia’s leadership, she said she had raised $US3.7 million for environmental causes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia also alleged the suit would take away her name and deluge her with legal fees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Examples of logos used in the trademark lawsuit against Pattie Gonia.\u00a0 (Supplied)<\/p>\n “This is not a brand conflict,” she said on Instagram.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This is a corporation trying to erase an activist.<\/p>\n “This would take away not only my activism and my career, but also the livelihoods of the team I employ.”<\/p>\n A video addressed the claims of logo copying, something she said was “cherrypicked” examples of parody and fan art.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Drag is built of parody, puns and jokes, but I’m willing to never parody their logo ever again.”\u00a0<\/p>\n She also questioned the timing of the lawsuit, alleging it was filed when there would be limited political pushback.\u00a0<\/p>\n “If Patagonia wants to celebrate Pride month this year by taking a queer climate activist to court, than I am here to fight for myself.”How has Patagonia responded?\u00a0<\/p>\n Patagonia said it had tried to “find a path forward” for several years, with the intent of avoiding “ending up in court”.\u00a0<\/p>\n But it had a “responsibility” to protect the brand, a statement read.\u00a0<\/p>\n It also argued the lawsuit was not about financial gain or “challenging anyone’s identity or right to advocacy, protest, or creative expression”.\u00a0<\/p>\n Claims of alternate negotiations were “wholeheartedly” denounced by the drag queen.\u00a0<\/p>\n Patagonia says the lawsuit is “necessary to protect the brand” that was formed in 1973.\u00a0 (Getty Images: Jakub Porzycki\/NurPhoto)<\/p>\n A statement by the brand in January said negotiations had collapsed when Pattie Gonia started selling “Pattie Gonia” branded apparel online, using versions of the brand’s logo, in 2024.<\/p>\n It said the queen had filed a trademark application that sought exclusive rights to “Pattie Gonia” for clothing, activism and marketing.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Pattie Gonia’s use of a near-copy of our name commercially \u2014 including as a brand for environmental advocacy \u2014 and her trademark application seeking to obtain the exclusive right to use that name going forward, pose long-term threats to Patagonia’s brand and our activism,” the company said.<\/p>\n How have people reacted? \u00a0<\/p>\n On social media, the brand has already faced an influx of the drag queen’s supporters, who are urging the brand to drop the lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Comedian Margaret Cho chimed in on Instagram: “DROP THE LAWSUIT your tinned fish is mid.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Margaret Cho was a quick supporter of Pattie Gonia.\u00a0 (Reuters: Allison Dinner)<\/p>\n So did RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race alum Latrice Royale, calling in all caps to “drop the lawsuit”.\u00a0<\/p>\n Others have also questioned the timing of the news, given that Pride Month is days away.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Doing this a week before Pride is wild work. #dropthesuit,” Broadway actor Andrew Keenan-Bolger said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Has this happened before?\u00a0<\/p>\n Drag queens have a storied history of using puns for their stage names.\u00a0<\/p>\n That history has not been without controversy though.\u00a0<\/p>\n How Pauline Pantsdown\u2019s satire gave strength to the downtrodden<\/a><\/p>\n Simon Hunt, the man behind Pauline Pantsdown, reflects on the impact of his famous character.<\/p>\n In 1998, Pauline Hanson successfully sought an injunction to stop the ABC from playing a song parodying<\/a> her, by drag satirist Pauline Pantsdown (AKA Simon Hunt).\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, Drag Race finalist Lexi Love was forced to stop using her stage name after a trademark dispute with a former adult performer and current AI artist.\u00a0<\/p>\n Love (real name Clair Barnes) said she lost several gigs, and platforms such as Cameo removed her content<\/a> as a result.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia cited this as the cause for her trademark application filing.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f69ef6f4233027ef680dfb348cc9b2e4.png\")
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