Goldenvoice and Coachella Music Festival have filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment this week over the Coachella Day One 22 event, scheduled for December 31. The event, produced by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, is set for Coachella Crossroads at Spotlight 29 Casino – located in Coachella, California near the site of the popular festival.
According to a flyer posted to the Spotlight 29 Casino Facebook page, the event is planning to feature Lil’ Wayne, Diesel (a stage name for former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neil), E-40 and Getter.
From Deadline:
The plaintiffs allege in the complaint that the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, operating as Coachella Crossroads, are “intentionally trading on the goodwill” of the Coachella event, causing a likelihood of “consumer confusion and false association” with the original event.
The plaintiffs state that the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians and Coachella Crossroads — collectively referred to as Twenty-Nine Palms — are not named as defendants in the action because both have asserted through their counsel that they are entitled to sovereign immunity, and not subject to suit. Attorneys for the Coachella Valley festival say that Twenty-Nine Palms may be added as defendants at a later date.
“Twenty-Nine Palms has gone to great lengths to imitate” the plaintiffs’ Coachella and associated trademarks, the suit contends.
The event was announced on December 10, and is offering two free tickets to any who wish to attend, with VIP options available for purchase.
Live Nation Entertainment has not yet issued any statement regarding the event or the lawsuit, but the Ticketmaster event page doesn’t include “Coachella” in the event name – referring to the event as “Day One ’22” instead. The lawsuit could bring to the foreground some questions regarding how much can be trademarked – Coachella is a place name, and part of the name of the club itself – does Goldenvoice get to keep anyone from using the place name because it has operated a popular festival in that particular valley?
Coachella Music Festival has not been held in either of the past two years, disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopes are high that both it and Stagecoach will be back in their traditional spring time slots in 2022.
