Pattie Gonia Urges Patagonia to Drop $1 Trademark Suit as Activist Warns of $1 Million Risk
Updated
Updated · NBC News · May 29
Pattie Gonia Urges Patagonia to Drop $1 Trademark Suit as Activist Warns of $1 Million Risk
6 articles · Updated · NBC News · May 29
$1 is all Patagonia seeks in its federal lawsuit, but Pattie Gonia said the case could strip the activist of the name, advocacy platform and jobs tied to the brand.
January's complaint says Wyn Wiley breached a 2022 agreement and expanded Pattie Gonia from an activist persona into a commercial enterprise by seeking trademark rights for apparel, marketing and events.
Patagonia said it spent months trying to reach a deal that would let Pattie Gonia continue the work while protecting its trademark, adding that the suit does not challenge identity, advocacy or creative expression.
Pattie Gonia denied using Patagonia's mountain logo, disputed that any agreement existed and said the trademark filing was meant to protect the name after another drag performer lost rights to hers.
1.7 million Instagram followers and $3.7 million raised for environmental causes have made Pattie Gonia a prominent activist brand, sharpening the clash with Patagonia, a company long known for environmental advocacy.
When a green giant sues a green activist, who truly pays the price for brand protection?
Will this feud redefine the rules for corporate-activist alliances in the future?
Can a drag queen's identity, built on parody, be legally separated from the brand it mimics?