Coachella Suing Urban Outfitters for Trademark Infringement

Coachella Music Festival’s parent company Goldenvoice is suing Urban Outfitters Inc. for using the long-registered Coachella name and trademark to sell a number of unauthorized products.

If Urban Outfitters had a music festival baby, it would probably look like Coachella, and the clothing brand is well aware of this. They know that their key demographic is fringe-wearing, culture-appropriating hipsters with money to burn. However, when unauthorized products such as the “Coachella Boot,” “Coachella Valley Tunic” and “Coachella Mini Dress” started being advertised on Urban Outfitters affiliate Free People’s website, the music festival’s organizers weren’t happy.

Coachella has its own range of goods and apparel, as well as licensed agreements with H&M and Pandora AS. This makes Urban Outfitters in direct (and illegal) competition with the licensed brand. “As a result, a Google search for ‘Coachella clothing’ results in an advertisement for Defendants’ infringing goods,” Coachella pointed out in its complaint, per WWD. Apparently, the music festival has reached out to the clothing brand before, but to little avail. In the complaint, Coachella said Urban Outfitters “ignored Plaintiff’s demands to cease their unlawful conduct.” Yikes.

This is hardly the first time Urban Outfitters has gotten itself into trouble. Like other mainstream clothing brands, the company has stolen from designers and independent artists over and over and over and over and over. Now, they’re being sued by Coachella. Will they ever learn (or care)? At this point, the answer would appear to be probably not.

Reps for both Urban Outfitters and Goldenvoice have declined to comment, per multiple outlets. The “Bella Coachella” clothing line was removed (at least temporarily) from all Urban Outfitters retail sites as of yesterday afternoon. But don’t worry, you can still get your paper-thin “Festival Feels Slip Dress” for the low, low price of $168.