Topline<\/p>\n
Drag performer Pattie Gonia rejected outdoor apparel company Patagonia\u2019s offer to drop its trademark lawsuit, saying one of the three conditions the company proposed would \u201cerase\u201d the performer as an activist. <\/p>\n
Patagonia filed a trademark lawsuit against drag queen Pattie Gonia in January. (Photo by Rich Polk\/Getty Images for NRDC)<\/p>\n
Getty Images for NRDCKey Facts<\/p>\n
\u201cNo deal, Patagonia,\u201d Pattie Gonia said in an Instagram post<\/a> on Monday night, rejecting the company\u2019s offer to settle its trademark lawsuit that accuses the drag performer of violating a previous agreement with the company to not sell merchandise under the Pattie Gonia name.<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia said the company\u2019s request that the performer \u201cstop selling and promoting apparel and other products as Pattie Gonia\u201d would \u201cerase my advocacy.\u201d<\/p>\n Patagonia is \u201cnot just talking about my upcycled t-shirt merch,\u201d Pattie Gonia alleged, claiming the company\u2019s request would preclude Pattie Gonia from partnering with brands to \u201cpay for the education, activism and advocacy that me and my team do.\u201d<\/p>\n Patagonia said in a post on Instagram<\/a> late Sunday night it wants to resolve the lawsuit and wishes it had not been necessary to take legal action, adding it shares \u201ccommon ground\u201d with Pattie Gonia, who is an environmental activist.<\/p>\n Patagonia said in its post it presented an offer to Pattie Gonia to drop the lawsuit if the drag performer withdraws trademark applications made to protect the Pattie Gonia name, agrees not to use the company\u2019s logos and stops selling and promoting apparel and other products as Pattie Gonia.<\/p>\n The apparel company filed a lawsuit in January against Pattie Gonia, whose real name is Wyn Wiley, alleging the drag performer violated an agreement previously made with the company by filing to trademark the name Pattie Gonia, departing from the \u201cdiscrete use of a persona to engage in activism\u201d to \u201claunch a wide-ranging commercial enterprise under the PATTIE GONIA brand.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit has sparked a divided response online, with trademark attorney Josh Gerben telling NBC News<\/a> Patagonia has an \u201cobligation\u201d to protect its trademark, while supporters of Pattie Gonia flooded the apparel company\u2019s Instagram with comments urging it to drop the lawsuit. <\/p>\n Patagonia Accuses Pattie Gonia Of Creating \u2018confused Customers\u201d<\/p>\n Patagonia\u2019s lawsuit said Pattie Gonia\u2019s attempt to trademark the drag name, which would protect the right to use the Pattie Gonia brand in merchandising and environmental activism, places the performer in direct competition with the company. Patagonia alleged Pattie Gonia\u2019s trademark application \u201cappropriates\u201d the Patagonia brand and \u201chas already confused consumers, and will continue to confuse consumers\u201d over whether the company and the drag queen are related. According to Patagonia\u2019s complaint, the company \u201crepeatedly\u201d communicated with Pattie Gonia and reached an agreement with the performer in 2022 to not sell any Pattie Gonia-branded merchandise or to use fonts or designs that are \u201csubstantially similar\u201d to Patagonia\u2019s logos. Patagonia alleged Pattie Gonia violated the agreement by selling merchandise, and the complaint includes email correspondence between the parties in 2025, in which the company reminded the drag queen their agreement prohibits the commercialization of the Pattie Gonia name. Patagonia\u2019s lawsuit notes it \u201cmust protect its iconic trademarks, even when it supports or agrees with Pattie Gonia\u2019s views, message, or objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia Disputes Backing Out Of Deal<\/p>\n Pattie Gonia, in an Instagram post last week, disputed that she had ever agreed to not sell Pattie Gonia-branded merchandise. \u201cIn 2022, when I was collaborating with a third party, Patagonia asked me to follow certain terms, and I did,\u201d Pattie Gonia said, adding it was not a \u201cbroad agreement about my future.\u201d The performer also denied filing a trademark application to compete with Patagonia. Pattie Gonia also accused Patagonia of choosing \u201cthis exact moment, the height of anti-LGBTQ+ politics and attacks on the environment,\u201d to file a lawsuit. Pattie Gonia first responded to the lawsuit in a post on Instagram<\/a> last week, accusing the company of \u201ctrying to erase an activist\u201d and betraying its mission of saving the environment, noting the Patagonia region in South America predates both the company and drag queen by centuries. Pattie Gonia denied having used the Patagonia logo in merchandise, saying the lawsuit \u201ccherry-picks a few examples of playful parody and fan art,\u201d also noting drag is \u201cbuilt on parody, puns and jokes.\u201d <\/p>\n Surprising Fact<\/p>\n Patagonia is suing Pattie Gonia for just $1, plus legal fees. Pattie Gonia said on Instagram the lawsuit effectively threatens to \u201ctake away my name permanently and threaten me with more than $1M\u201d in legal fees.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Patagonia has long been considered a socially progressive company for its environmental activism, donating millions to environmental groups and suing<\/a> President Donald Trump in 2017 for shrinking federal lands protections. The company has also previously partnered<\/a> with the Human Rights Campaign to oppose state legislation targeting LGBTQ rights. Pattie Gonia, who has 1.8 million Instagram followers, created the drag persona in 2018, and claims to have raised $3.7 million for environmental causes, including $1 million raised last year on a 100-mile hike<\/a>.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Why drag queen Pattie Gonia is werking from the mountaintops<\/a> (The Washington Post)<\/p>\n