![\"Pattie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2221285891-scaled.jpg\")
\n\t\t\t\tSarah Silbiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\tSarah Silbiger for The Washington Post via Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Drag queen\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u00a0is asking fans for help fighting Patagonia, the popular outdoor apparel and\u00a0gear company<\/a>, which has sued the outspoken environmental activist for trademark infringement. The\u00a0Ventura-based company filed a lawsuit<\/a> in\u00a0Los Angeles\u00a0federal court in January after the environmentalist drag queen submitted an application for the exclusive right to use the brand Pattie Gonia for marketing, activism and clothing sales.<\/p>\n Wyn Wiley, who performs as\u00a0Pattie Gonia, has millions of followers on social media and has raised nearly $4 million for environmental nonprofits. Last year, the drag queen raised $1 million by hiking 100 miles from Point Reyes to\u00a0San Francisco.<\/p>\n Patagonia sued Wiley for $1 in damages plus legal fees, saying it supports the performer\u2019s causes but wants to protect the company\u2019s branding.\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u00a0and their supporters are urging the brand to drop the suit.<\/p>\n In its complaint, Patagonia wrote that the drag queen\u2019s \u201cproducts and services compete directly with the products and advocacy upon which Patagonia built its Patagonia brand over the last fifty-three years.\u201d<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia\u00a0\u201cappropriates Patagonia\u2019s brand and identity in a way that has already confused consumers, and will continue to confuse consumers, about Patagonia\u2019s role in producing or sponsoring\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u2019s\u00a0products, events and public appearances,\u201d the complaint said.<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia\u00a0responded on social media this week, saying the Patagonia case is trying to take away their right to use the name and it could cost them $1 million in legal fees.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a brand conflict, this is a corporation trying to erase an activist,\u201d the drag queen said in an\u00a0Instagram video<\/a>.\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u00a0also posted an\u00a0open letter<\/a>\u00a0to the company, writing that \u201cthe lawsuit hurts not only me and everything I\u2019ve built but also the people I employ, the millions of people I try to inspire, and dozens of nonprofit organizations that I have supported.\u201d<\/p>\n Patagonia included photos in its legal filings showing\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u00a0branded stickers that closely mimic the Patagonia logo. The drag queen\u2019s stickers include the same mountain silhouette used by Patagonia. The company also included examples of social media comments by confused followers, with one saying, \u201cI genuinely thought this was a Patagonia ad for too long\u2026 or is it?\u201d<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia\u00a0said in a video that the company \u201ccherry picks a few examples of playful parody and fan art and tries to spin those into some kind of vast use of their logo.\u201d<\/p>\n The company said it worked with\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u00a0for years to reach an agreement and avoid going to court. It said the performer violated this agreement by filing a trademark application to use the name\u00a0Pattie Gonia\u00a0for wide-ranging commercial sales.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we wish we didn\u2019t have to do this \u2014 and actively engaged with Pattie for several years to avoid this \u2014 it has become necessary to protect the brand we have spent the last 50 years building,\u201d Patagonia said\u00a0in a statement<\/a>\u00a0in January. \u201cWe want Pattie to have a long and successful career and make progress on issues that matter \u2014 but in a way that respects Patagonia\u2019s intellectual property and ability to use our brand to sell products.\u201d<\/p>\n Patagonia posted another statement Wednesday, reiterating that the company had hoped to reach an agreement without filing suit. The company takes its name from a\u00a0mountainous region<\/a>\u00a0spanning\u00a0Argentina\u00a0and\u00a0Chile.<\/p>\n This story originally appeared in\u00a0Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 \t\t
Caroline Petrow-Cohen; Los Angeles Times; (TNS) || \u00a92026 Los Angeles Times. Visit\u00a0latimes.com<\/a>. Distributed by\u00a0Tribune Content Agency, LLC.<\/a><\/p>\n