Live Nation Entertainment can continue selling tickets for a New Year’s Eve event called DayOne22 after a judge ruled against Coachella and Golden Voice.
Earlier this month, Coachella Music Festival LCC and concert promoter Goldenvoice filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Live Nation and web hosting company Bluehost over the event. Marketed initially as Coachella Day One 22 and hosted by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, the concert was set to be held at the tribe’s Coachella Crosswords event venue.
The Plaintiffs alleged that Twenty-Nine Palms, operating at Coachella Crossroads, was “intentionally trading on the goodwill” of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, likely causing “consumer confusion” and false association with the actual event.
The plaintiffs also said the tribe and Coachella Crossroads were not named defendants because both asserted they are entitled to sovereign immunity and are not subject to suit.
U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner rejected the request on Monday. Derick Mike, chairman of the Twenty-Nine Palms tribe, applauded the judge’s decision, calling it a “win for the Tribe, the community, and our ticketing partners at Live Nation.”
“We are equally thrilled that our outdoor venue, Coachella Crossroads, will be able to continue operating under its given name,” Mike said in a statement. “The strong-arming of Goldenvoice and its parent company AEG to take reign over a name of a region and businesses who chose to identify with it is disrespectful to small and large business operation, those under their employ, and the indigenous people who live within the valley.”
In a previous statement, Mike said the dispute reflects the “increased competitive nature of music events in the region and the attempt at monopolizing the location of Coachella as a solely owned brand name.”
Last week, the Twenty-Nine Palms tribe chairmen said they removed Coachella from the title of the NYE event on marketing and sales materials online, even though the tribe was under no obligation to do so.
“We hope that we can move away from this matter, so DayOne22 taking place at Coachella Crossroads, in Coachella, can be celebrated in the spirit for which it was created,” he said.
DayOne22 is a one-night New Year’s Eve Celebration headlined by Lil Wayne, along with rapper Diesel (Shaquille O’Neal) and E-40 at the Spotlight 29 Casino.
