Bloomberg
Coachella Music Festival LLC, the company behind the popular California music event, persuaded a federal judge to block the use of “Moechella” to promote a Washington, D.C., festival based around go-go music.
Moechella was launched in 2019 by the informal Long Live Go-Go movement, which was protesting restrictions on playing loud music in the U Street neighborhood in Washington, along with the broader perceived loss of Black culture in the city. Go-go is a genre of funk music developed by Black musicians in the D.C. area in the 1960s and 70s.
Judge Reggie B. Walton, of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, said Thursday that Coachella is likely to succeed on the merits of its trademark infringement lawsuit and would suffer irreparable harm without an injunction. He issued a preliminary injunction barring Moechella from using, displaying, advertising, or promoting the name while the litigation between the music festivals continues.
“Here, the Court concludes that the MOECHELLA mark is highly similar to the COCHELLA marks,” Walton wrote. “Indeed, ‘the dominant portion of both marks [i.e., CHELLA] is the same.’” The similarity of the services and goods provided—a music festival and merchandise—is also likely to lead to consumer confusion, Walton said.
Read more
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/coachella-wins-order-blocking-d-c-based-moechella-festival
