Hotel California Being Sued By The Eagles
@HotelCaliBaja (Twitter)
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair… heading to Todos Santos, Mexico? You might not be able to stay there.
If The Eagles get their way, you won’t be able to check into the Hotel California because there is a legal battle looming over the name.
The rock group has launched a trademark infringement lawsuit against the hotel seeking to ban it from using the name “Hotel California.”
The suit was filed in a California courtroom this week. Lawyers say that the hotel’s owners are falsely leading people into thinking the hotel is associated with The Eagles and was the inspiration for the song.
Reuters reports the Todos Santos, which opened as the Hotel California in 1950 and went through a number of name changes until the current owners restored the name in 2001.
The complaint reads, “Defendants lead U.S. consumers to believe that the Todos Santos Hotel is associated with The Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in ‘Hotel California,’ which is false.”
The paperwork also notes that the owners attempted to register the Hotel California name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and that there has been some confusion among former guests in online reviews.
In addition, the suit claims that the establishment plays “Hotel California” and other Eagles song on its property, while also selling merchandise that refer to the hotel as “legendary” and the hotel never contacted the Eagles seeking a license to use the band’s “Hotel California” trademark.
Read more of the “history” of The Hotel California, as told by the owners here.
Discover the legendary #HotelCalifornia and explore #TodosSantos. Wonderful #architecture, #culture and #history. pic.twitter.com/BFviq5uZIk
— Hotel California (@HotelCaliBaja) September 4, 2015