LOS ANGELES, Calif. — After accusing Hotel California of monopolizing its own brand, American rock band, Eagles, finally settled the lawsuit over the hotel. The lawsuit news surfaced for the first time last year as the band tries to stop the Mexican hotel to call itself Hotel California. According to Reuters, Hotel California Baja LLC, the hoteliers, withdrew their application for a U.S. trademark. The company also operates the Todos Santos hotel in Baja California Sur.
It can be recalled that the Eagles had alleged that the hotel were using their brand to mislead patrons that they had the official permission and the authority to use the name referring to the band’s hit song, “Hotel California.” Aside from selling and promoting merchandise such as shirts, refrigerator magnets, and posters branded with “Hotel California,” it was also reported that the band’s music has been played around its property.
On the other hand, the hoteliers defended themselves by saying that the claimed activities are not meant to get the fans confused and that it is highly unlikely for that event to happen. In addition, the hotel had been named Hotel California since its first opening in the 1950s. The hotel is situated 1,000 miles south of San Diego and 48 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, across the United States border. It has also been justified that the name has been altered throughout the years. However, when Canadian couple John Stewart and Debbie Stewart purchased the property in 2001, they have decided to restore its original name.
The Eagles released their world class album, “Hotel California,” in 1976. Its title track with the same name took home the 1977 Grammy Award for record of the year. It became popular with its calming, long guitar outro performed by Don Felder and Joe Walsh. The song lyrics took its listeners to a nostalgic era of the young 1970s, sung by the band’s lead singer, Don Henley. In an interview with CBS News way back in 2016, the band explained that the song portrays the dark underbelly of the popular American dream.
The song was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and Don Felder. Henley explained that the tune of the song was intended as an expression or commentary about their environment. He elaborated that they were all middle-class kids originating from the Midwest. The song, “Hotel California,” was supposed to be their interpretation of the high life while living in Los Angeles.
The case can be retrieved as Eagles Ltd v. Hotel California Baja LLC et al., US District Court, Central District of California, No. 17-03276. The decision to settle and dismiss was mutual for both parties according to the lawyer for the rock group, Thomas Jirgal, in an interview last Thursday. After the band sued the said company with the US District Court in Los Angeles, both sides decided to call it off on Wednesday. This decision was determined the same day that the US Patent and Trademark Office accepted Hotel California Baja LLC’s request to leave its application.
As of today, the Eagles have yet to comment regarding the settlement. Moreover, the representative of the hotel did not immediately release a response for comments regarding the lawsuit.
