Patagonia Is Suing Pattie Gonia, A Drag Queen Performer With An Environmental Message

Days earlier nan opening of Pride Month successful June, a glamorous resistance queen pinch long, wavy reddish hair, a matching mustache and carabiner earrings stared into a camera and levied a beardown accusation against a celebrated sustainable outdoors apparel brand: “This is simply a corp trying to erase an activist.”

The resistance queen, Pattie Gonia, said successful nan video she was breaking her soundlessness connected a suit revenge against her by Patagonia, a marque blazed crossed nan chests of escapade athletes and midtown Manhattan finance bankers alike. The apparel institution is suing her for $1 for alleged trademark infringement, though experts opportunity ineligible fees could easy surpass $1 million.

A maelstrom of societal media posts quickly followed, arsenic resistance has a agelong history of parodying celebrated names. Many expressed indignation that a climate-friendly clothing marque would look to spell aft a beloved ambiance activist. Others chided Pattie Gonia for leveling nan accusation against Patagonia, a institution considered by galore arsenic a leader successful sustainability, without coating a afloat image of nan case.

Why Patagonia is suing Pattie Gonia

Pattie Gonia, whose fixed sanction is Wyn Wiley, is simply a resistance queen based successful Bend, Oregon. She is known for her ambiance activism and has a mixed pursuing of astir 3 cardinal group connected TikTok and Instagram. She first went viral successful 2018 aft posting a clip wearing precocious heels while camping.

She makes short, acquisition videos astir ambiance change, created and tours pinch nan “Save Her! Environmental Drag Show,” and is known for mobilizing ambiance activists and raising money for ambiance organizations.

Patagonia says that Pattie Gonia infringed connected its trademark by trading clothing and products nether nan “Pattie Gonia” name, which they opportunity confuses consumers.

“There doesn’t person to beryllium existent user disorder to triumph a trademark infringement suit. If consumers are apt to beryllium confused, that is sufficient," said Tim Holbrook, an intelligence spot professor astatine nan University of Denver.

The institution revenge nan complaint, which included screenshots of user confusion, connected Jan. 21. Pattie Gonia announced, and criticized, nan suit connected May 27. This initially sparked confusion, pinch galore believing Patagonia had revenge nan title astir Pride Month.

Pattie Gonia declined to opportunity whether nan timing of her announcement was intentional.

In September 2025, she revenge a trademark exertion for nan “Pattie Gonia” sanction to, among different things, waste apparel. Several months later, Patagonia sued.

According to nan complaint, nan clothing institution reached retired successful 2022 aft proceeding astir a fundraising collaboration betwixt nan performer and Hydroflask, an outdoors accessory brand. On a telephone call, it asked nan performer not to waste products pinch nan Patagonia logo, font aliases nan sanction “Pattie Gonia,” and outlined nan points complete email.

The institution past followed up complete email 3 years later erstwhile Pattie Gonia began trading clothing pinch her sanction connected it. After a little exchange, nan clothing marque asked nan performer to meet and talk “different understandings of wherever we near things related to Patagonia's trademarks erstwhile this past came up.”

The performer called nan title one-sided and said it “misrepresented not only nan facts but besides my individual integrity.”

It's communal for companies to writer to extremity trademark filings

McDonald's sued a dental believe pinch nan sanction “McDental.” Starbucks sued “Sambucks,” an Oregon-based java house. Even Patagonia has fought disconnected marque copycats “Catagonia,” “Fratagonia” and others, according to nan complaint.

It's a precocious barroom to clear to trademark thing akin to an existing brand, said Carmel Imani, a trademark lawyer who represents mini creators and brands.

“I get rejections for trademarks for my clients that are measurement little akin than these marque names," she said astir Pattie Gonia and Patagonia.

In trademark law, a title is astir acold much than a singular conflict — it's astir nan large image of whether a marque will beryllium protected from early disputes by others, said Lara Pearson, trademark lawyer pinch Brand Geek.

By allowing akin brands pinch akin equipment and services, “Are we mounting a precedent that we’re not going to beryllium capable to locomotion backmost from later?” she said.

The backlash has been swift

After Pattie Gonia alleged erasure, supporters and friends quickly said up, asking really specified a reputable institution could writer a queer ambiance activist, immoderate going arsenic acold arsenic donating Patagonia clothing.

The time aft Pattie Gonia's announcement, protagonist Jim Gregory posted a video to TikTok extracurricular of a Goodwill aid halfway wherever he said he was dropping disconnected his Patagonia hat.

"I deliberation that you conscionable wholly wrecked your company, astatine slightest from my demographic, nan LGBTQ demographic," Gregory said to nan camera.

Cleo Schroer, a Brooklyn-based interrogator connected queer authorities and civilization who has besides been posting videos astir nan case, said she initially felt for illustration Patagonia was successful nan wrong, but that thing didn’t beryllium right. Then she publication nan complaint.

“Saying that Patagonia was trying to soundlessness a resistance queen aliases a queer activistic ... it conscionable felt inaccurate,” she said.

Patagonia took its sanction from nan region

Patagonia is simply a divers region successful confederate Chile and Argentina, pinch glaciers, mountains and fjords to nan west, stretching into steppe and godforsaken toward nan east. It has agelong been occupied by Indigenous peoples, including nan Mapuche, Tehuelche and others.

Founder Yvon Chouinard decided nan sanction would beryllium cleanable for an apparel marque targeting a scope of outdoors enthusiasts. After much than a decade of trading apparel arsenic “Patagonia,” nan institution revenge for and was granted nan trademark.

“You tin surely protect a sanction moreover if it's nan sanction of a geographic region aliases location,” said trademark lawyer Josh Gerben. "There's Chevy Tahoe, GMC Denali, Arizona Tea Company and galore more," he explained. It's nuanced, but really good known nan region is astatine nan clip of nan trademark is simply a facet nan U.S. Patent and Trademark Office would weigh, he said.

Since 1973, nan apparel marque has built a profitable business disconnected of Patagonia, now a sought-after destination for outdoors enthusiasts.

Some advancement has been made toward resolving nan conflict

If Pattie Gonia's exertion is yet approved by nan U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Patagonia would beryllium capable to record an opposition, which could return years to resolve, Gerben said. But it's a moot point.

“The suit will power nan situation,” he said. “If Patagonia wins nan lawsuit, nan Federal Court tin show nan USPTO to contradict nan application.”

Still, some sides person made mini steps toward nan middle, Imani observed. Pattie Gonia said she would driblet nan trademark exertion if Patagonia drops nan suit. The clothing marque issued a connection that recognized “any wounded (the lawsuit) has caused, particularly successful nan LBGTQ+ community,” but said nan suit could only beryllium dropped if Pattie Gonia stops utilizing their logo, font aliases her sanction to waste equipment and services.

Pattie Gonia agreed to nan first 2 but not to extremity trading merchandise reference “Pattie Gonia.” At immoderate point, her website went from www.pattiegoniamerch.com to www.pattiemerch.com, a alteration nan performer did not reply questions about.

"We are very unfastened and want to find a resolution,” said Corley Kenna, main effect and communications serviceman for Patagonia, but did not connection details.

The champion resolution, said Gerben, would beryllium to debar tribunal and scope an agreement.

“It’s ever much perfect because it provides certainty to some parties. And you’re not going successful beforehand of a assemblage wondering who’s gonna win,” he said.

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