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Coachella not impressed with Hoodchella
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 2 February 2016
AEG Live’s Goldenvoice last week began legal proceedings against an LA-based festival called Hoodchella, which launched as a one-day event last year during the first weekend of Goldenvoice’s own Coachella Festival. This year Hoodchella is set to return as a three-day bash the weekend before Coachella kicks off for 2016.
Goldenvoice insists that it has no problem with new festivals entering the market, but that it does object to those new festivals stealing part of its event’s name. Because that’s trademark infringement, see, or so says the AEG subsidiary. Oh, and “false designation of origin, dilution and unfair competition”, according to the promoter’s lawsuit.
Goldenvoice says that Hoodchella founder Kamil Al-Ahdali has ignored repeated requests to change the name of his event, resulting in the legal action. Though a petition set up in support of Hoodchella, which may or may not be linked to Al-Ahdali himself, insists that “it’s clear that our fanbase knows we are two completely different establishments being that we already gained a fanbase from our past underground art and music shows”.
The Goldenvoice lawsuit is seeking at least $100,000 in damages, legal fees, control of Hoodchella’s web address, and a commitment from Al-Ahdali to cease using the name.
