Drag queen and activist Pattie Gonia infringed the trademarks of outdoor clothing and equipment company Patagonia Inc. by selling products using a nearly identical copy of its branding, Patagonia told a federal court.
Pattie Gonia had earlier made a commitment to respect Patagonia’s trademark rights but is now violating that agreement, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The suit targets Entrepreneur Enterprises Inc., doing business as Pattie Gonia Productions.
It comes after Pattie Gonia, who advocates on environmental and LGBTQ issues, filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office to claim the exclusive right to the “Pattie Gonia” brand for apparel, marketing services, speaking services, and more.
“The trademark application reflects Pattie Gonia’s departure from discrete use of a persona to engage in activism,” the complaint said, and instead confirms her intent to “launch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise under the PATTIE GONIA brand.”
The company said Pattie Gonia’s use of the trademark has already caused confusion, pointing to comments in response to social media posts.
Patagonia first addressed the potential conflict when Pattie Gonia was discussing a fundraising partnership with Hydroflask. Patagonia’s complaint said it reached an understanding with Pattie Gonia in 2022 “memorialized in emails.”
Then in 2024, Pattie Gonia registered the domain name “pattiegoniamerch.com” and began posting apparel products bearing the “Pattie Gonia” mark. She has also used the name to promote a tour of theaters and arenas.
“Pattie Gonia began using the PATTIE GONIA trademark long after the PATAGONIA trademarks became famous,” the company said. “The PATTIE GONIA trademark and Pattie Gonia Products are likely to dilute Patagonia’s famous and distinctive marks by diminishing their distinctiveness and singular association with Patagonia.”
In email communications about the usage of the name, Pattie Gonia and her business partner responded to Patagonia’s concerns saying they have “never and will never reference the brand Patagonia’s logo or brand,” according to a copy included in the complaint.
They added there was “plenty of room” for both to “play in this box” and said they “trust Patagonia will stay on their side and we will stay on ours.”
Patagonia said in its lawsuit, however, that “given Pattie Gonia’s failure to follow through on the limitations the parties had discussed,” the company believes Pattie Gonia “will not stop compromising Patagonia’s famous brand” unless a court steps in.
Verso Law Group LLP represents Patagonia.
The case is Patagonia Inc. v. Entrepreneur Enterprises Inc., C.D. Cal., No. 2:26-cv-00586, complaint filed 1/21/26.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editor responsible for this story: