Pattie Gonia, the drag queen and environmental activist being sued by Patagonia for alleged trademark infringement, made her first public response to the lawsuit on May 27, calling for Patagonia to drop the case.
Patagonia, the Ventura-based outdoor apparel company, filed a federal lawsuit in January against Wyn Wiley, who has performed as Pattie Gonia since 2018. Pattie Gonia has 1.7 million Instagram followers and says she has raised $3.7 million for conservation efforts and other environmental causes.
The lawsuit is not over Wiley’s use of the Pattia Gonia name as a performer.
The company didn’t invent “Patagonia.” Founder Yvon Chouinard named his company after the southernmost region of South America, and for a logo, he used a silhouette of Mount Fitz Roy, a peak in the region that he and his friends had climbed.
Patagonia’s lawsuit claims that Pattie Gonia has infringed on that logo with stickers and other products and has violated Patagonia’s trademarks by selling T-shirts and sweatshirts with “Pattie Gonia” branding. The company also objects to Wiley’s application in 2025 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for exclusive rights to use the Pattie Gonia name for products and services including music, live events, speaking engagements, online marketing, environmental advocacy, posters, stickers and clothing.
The suit claims these moves amount to “a wide-ranging commercial enterprise under the Pattie Gonia brand,” which will “confuse consumers about Patagonia’s role in producing or sponsoring Pattie Gonia’s products, events and public appearances.”
The suit is seeking $1 in damages, along with attorney’s fees and costs, and a court order to stop any infringements of Patagonia’s intellectual property rights.
Pattie Gonia did not respond to the lawsuit at first, and declined a request for an interview. But in court filings, she has denied any trademark infringement, and on May 27 she released a video and an open letter addressing the lawsuit.
The open letter is addressed to Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert and the boards that run the company and its related nonprofit foundation and asks them to “intervene and drop this lawsuit today.”
“This lawsuit serves no good purpose,” the letter states. “Let’s make peace and get back to our common love of the planet including our namesake region in South America named Patagonia.”
Pattie Gonia says in the letter that she “immediately began pursuing an amicable settlement” after the suit was filed. Without a settlement, she said, the costs of defending the lawsuit will “grind me down so far that I can’t continue to operate.”
“I have believed from the beginning that there is room for an agreement that protects your trademark while letting me keep my name and my work,” the letter states.
In a statement released May 27, Patagonia said it has also “tried to find a path forward that would allow Pattie Gonia to continue their work while also protecting the Patagonia trademark.” The company said it made “multiple proposals” to settle the matter without a lawsuit.
Patagonia’s statement said its lawsuit “is not about seeking financial gain, nor is it about challenging anyone’s identity or right to advocacy, protest, or creative expression.”
“The last thing we wanted was a legal fight with someone who shares our values, but we must protect our business and employees,” the statement says.
Tony Biasotti is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tbiasotti@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Pattie Gonia speaks out about Patagonia’s lawsuit
Reporting by Tony Biasotti, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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