The world-renowned Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has filed a lawsuit against DC music and protest event “Moechella” over their similar name.
Moechella was founded as a celebration of Black culture in DC, the name being a play on the words from the area’s pronoun “Moe” and the high-profile festival in California.
The name references how festivals like Coachella flourish with the rich and famous but are unobtainable for the typically marginalized communities in DC.
The festival is free to the public and usually centers around go-go music, education in political matters, and encouraging attendees to use their voices.
Moechella first began in 2019 and has since continued to use the name for its events supporting community, voting, and Washington DC’s statehood—and thereby congressional representation.
But even though Moechella alleges they will be diverting from the name, they have ten events announced with the same name and branding, leading to the trademark infringement lawsuit.
Justin Johnson, the organizer of the small D.C. event, said to Billboard, “These events are protests that have spawned out of the gentrification of DC and the erasure of the culture in this city, not festivals for monetary gain. It’s surprising that a multi-billion dollar company is approaching a non-profit organization like this.”
To learn more about the lawsuit between Coachella and Moechella, watch the video below:
Featured image from Coachella
