Urban Outfitters asks California court to dismiss Coachella lawsuit

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jun 27, 2017

In February, the Coachella Music Festival LLC (Coachella) sued Urban Outfitters and Free People for trademark infringement for selling clothes under the Coachella name that were marketed to festival-goers.

This week, Urban Outfitters asked the court to dismiss all claims against Urban Outfitters saying Coachella's allegations are actually directed at sister brand, Free People.

The lawsuit arose out of Urban Outfitters and subsidiary Free People selling what they were marketing as "Coachella clothing". Style names at issue include Free People's "Coachella Valley Tunic", "Coachella Boot", "Coachella Pocket Tee" and "Coachella Mini Dress".

Coachella alleged the fashion companies were trading off of the Coachella name. The festival claimed consumers searching "Coachella clothing" online would be confused by the discovery of the defendant's products and be unsure whether they were official or not.

Coachella specifically alleged that it purchased the Coachella name so as to avoid confusion among consumers wondering what was official festival product and what was not. Coachella claims Urban Outfitters and Free People are misleading customers into thinking they are selling product affiliated with the festival. To further illustrate Coachella's point, Urban Outfitters publishes a blog called "Coachella Street Style".

At this time, Urban Outfitters has now asked the court to dismiss claims against it in favor of continuing the lawsuit against Free People.

The court has not yet ruled on Urban Outfitters' request.