(SGI) Patagonia has filed suit in Los Angeles federal court against OC Media for trademark infringement, unfair competition and other violations of the Lanham Act. Open Caucasus Media, as it is formally called, is a Russian-language news website covering the North and South Caucasus. Its funders include the European Endowment for Democracy, the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Open Society Foundations, the National Endowment for Democracy and the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The organization has been selling apparel bearing the name “Petrogonia” and a logo that resembles Patagonia’s P-6 logo but substitutes oil derricks for mountains. As OC Media advocates oil drilling and fracking (hydraulic fracturing), the designs are likely a parody of Patagonia’s environmental stance. Patagonia is asking the court for an injunction, damages and reimbursement of legal fees.

Topics