The drag queen and environmentalist Pattie Gonia has publicly urged outdoor apparel company Patagonia to withdraw its trademark infringement lawsuit. Pattie Gonia argues that the suit, which alleges commercial expansion beyond activism and unauthorized use of branding, threatens to erase their identity, advocacy, and the livelihoods of their team. While Patagonia asserts the lawsuit aims to protect its trademark and business, Pattie Gonia contends it is a corporate effort to bully an individual and a betrayal of the company’s purported mission. Despite claims of a prior agreement and customer confusion, Pattie Gonia denies these allegations and suggests the trademark filing was a precautionary measure.
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Columbia Sportswear has filed a lawsuit against Columbia University, alleging trademark infringement and breach of contract. The lawsuit claims the university’s merchandise, particularly apparel lacking required identifying logos, is too similar to Columbia Sportswear’s offerings, causing consumer confusion. The agreement, signed in June 2023, allowed the university to use “Columbia” on merchandise with specific school identifiers, which the sportswear company alleges the university violated. Columbia Sportswear seeks to halt sales of infringing products, recall existing items, and secure damages for the harm caused to its brand.
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I used to view Tesla as an innovative car company, but recent events have led me to question that perception. Elon Musk’s insistence that Tesla is not a car company, but rather a ‘software company’, raises some red flags as sales begin to falter. It feels like a desperate attempt to distance himself from the responsibility of the products his company produces.
The fact that Musk is quick to disassociate Tesla from being a car manufacturer is concerning. The promotion of ‘autopilot’ technology that isn’t truly autonomous, the claims of ‘bulletproof’ cars that aren’t truly bulletproof, and the selling of a ‘flamethrower’ that isn’t technically a flamethrower, all seem like smoke and mirrors to me.… Continue reading
John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood