feature|16 Jan 2025
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Coachella sues Urban Outfitters
The California festival, and its promoter, AEG's Goldenvoice, accuse Urban Outfitters of infringing their trademark by marketing clothes under the Coachella brand
By IQ on 15 Mar 2017
The crowd in the Sahara tent for Baauer at Coachella 2016
image © Courtesy of Coachella
The Coachella Music Festival and its promoter, Goldenvoice, are taking legal action against clothing retailer Urban Outfitters, which they accuse of making unauthorised use of the Coachella name to sell clothing to its festivalgoers.
A trademark lawsuit, Coachella Music Festival, LLC et al v. Urban Outfitters, Inc. et al, filed yesterday in the Central District Court of California, alleges Urban Outfitters and its Free People subsidiary sold clothes marketed under the Coachella name with the intention of trading on the festival’s success, despite not having permission to do so.
Urban Outfitters is also accused of purchasing an online keyword to drive shoppers searching for “Coachella” to the Free People site, writes Law360.
Goldenvoice last year succeeded in another trademark dispute, compelling small LA festival Hoodchella to rebrand as ‘Noise in the Hood’.
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