Patagonia is back in the lawsuit headlines after suing the makers of a “Petrogonia” apparel line. OC Media has been selling a full line of apparel, including T-shirts, hoodies, hats and more, with a logo pretty obviously based on the Patagonia Fitz Roy logo, only replaced with oil field imagery.
https://twitter.com/EthanHBellamy/status/1227224343131774976
“In blatant disregard of Patagonia’s rights in the ‘Patagonia’ trademarks, and without authorization from Patagonia, OC started manufacturing, promoting, offering for sale, and selling apparel products and accessories bearing the ‘Petrogonia’ name and brand, together with a design that is nearly identical to the P-6 logo (the Petrogonia Design),” said the filing, according to World Intellectual Property Review.
OC Media even went as far as trying to trademark “Petrogonia” on Jan. 15 this year. With the ongoing lawsuit and clear copy of Patagonia’s branding, it would be a longshot for OC Media to land that trademark.
“The Patagonia trademarks are famous within the meaning of the Trademark Dilution Revision Act, enjoy strong consumer recognition, and are recognized around the world and throughout the U.S. by consumers as signifying high quality products made by a responsible company,” a Patagonia spokesperson told the WIP Review.
Given Patagonia’s connection to enjoying the outdoors and appreciating nature, a company celebrating oil drilling with its logo is definitely not something it will tolerate.
This is the same company that won’t even sell its beloved vests to certain corporate uniform clients if it doesn’t agree with the company’s ethics, after all. It’s also proven itself willing to aggressively protect its trademarks, even if it means taking on much larger brands.
