{"id":248876,"date":"2026-05-30T17:16:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T17:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/248876\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T17:16:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T17:16:24","slug":"patagonia-sues-drag-queen-pattie-gonia-for-trademark-infringement-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/248876\/","title":{"rendered":"Patagonia Sues Drag Queen “Pattie Gonia” for Trademark Infringement"},"content":{"rendered":"

News<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how corporations bully individuals who cannot match their resources,\u201d said the artist and activist.<\/p>\n


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\"\"Pattie Gonia accused the Patagonia brand of attempting to \u201cerase an activist\u201d by suing her for attempting to trademark her name. (photo Mitchell Overton, all courtesy Pattie Gonia)<\/p>\n

Activists and LGBTQ+ advocates are voicing public outrage against the outerwear brand Patagonia after it sued the drag queen Pattie Gonia for trademark infringement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pattie Gonia, the drag persona of Oregon-based LGBTQ+ and environmental activist Wyn Wiley, took to Instagram this week to accuse the company of attempting to \u201cerase an activist\u201d when it sued her in January for the meager sum of $1 plus attorneys’ fees. Those fees would add up to around $1 million, according to Pattie Gonia. <\/p>\n

The drag queen claims to have raised nearly $5 million for nonprofits that expand outdoor opportunities for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC individuals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is how corporations bully individuals who cannot match their resources,\u201d Pattie Gonia said in a video shared with her 1.8 million Instagram<\/a> followers. The artist called for the company to drop the suit, prompting activist accounts on the platform to call<\/a> for a boycott of the brand.<\/p>\n

\"\"Pattie Gonia has raised millions for nonprofits that expand outdoor access and career opportunities for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. (photo Samuel Crossley)<\/p>\n

The $3 billion<\/a> clothing brand announced<\/a> it was suing the activist in late January after she filed a trademark application for her parody brand \u201cPattie Gonia.\u201d The activist had previously sought to trademark her name, merchandise, and \u201cmotivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability,\u201d according to the lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In papers filed in US Federal Court in Los Angeles, the company claimed that Pattie Gonia violated a prior agreement she had with the company by attempting to commercialize her drag name. In her first public remarks about the lawsuit this week, Pattie Gonia expressly denied Patagonia\u2019s claims, defending her drag persona and related merchandise as part of performance art\u2019s long history of \u201cparody, puns, and jokes.\u201d <\/p>\n

She also denied the existence of a formal agreement with the company, beyond a one-time agreement to some of the company’s terms for a particular project. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis [lawsuit] would take away not only my activism and my career, but also the livelihoods of the team I employ,\u201d Pattie Gonia said in her video. \u201cThis is a betrayal of Patagonia\u2019s core mission. Because if they\u2019re in business to save the home planet, why are they suing a climate activist?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Patagonia cited examples (in red) of alleged infringement of the brand’s logo. (screenshot via legal filings)<\/p>\n

If Patagonia succeeds in court, Pattie Gonia\u2019s trademark application for her persona and activism could be thrown out, erasing a venue she said could protect her from the fate of fellow drag queen \u201cLexi Love,\u201d whose social media<\/a> accounts and gigs disappeared amid a trademark dispute<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Patagonia told Hyperallergic in a statement that the lawsuit was \u201cpart of protecting the ability of this company to continue doing that work in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis matter is not about seeking financial gain, nor is it about challenging anyone\u2019s identity or right to advocacy, protest, or creative expression,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe last thing we wanted was a legal fight with someone who shares our values, but we must protect our business and employees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patagonia\u2019s lawsuit likened Pattie Gonia\u2019s attempts to trademark her brand to the copycats \u201cFratagonia\u201d and \u201cPetagonia,\u201d which visibly ripped off the company\u2019s logo. The brand claimed that it had to enforce its trademark regardless of the political values of the alleged violator.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Pattie Gonia’s for-sale merchandise does not appear to resemble Patagonia products. (screenshot via legal filings)<\/p>\n

Pattie Gonia\u2019s for-sale merchandise, now removed from her website, appears markedly different from Patagonia\u2019s blue-and-purple rectangular logo. The artist and activist claims the company \u201ccherry-picked\u201d social media posts in which she holds fan art that mimicked the logo as evidence for their lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis lawsuit serves no good purpose,\u201d Pattie Gonia said to her followers. \u201cLet\u2019s make peace and get back to our common love of the planet, including our namesake region in South America named Patagonia.\u201d<\/p>\n