The Eagles vs Hotel California ends in Peaceful Easy Feeling

A dispute between The Eagles and a Mexican hotel has been settled. Last year, the Eagles issued a lawsuit to stop the hotel from calling itself Hotel California. Hotel California is the name of, and a single featured on, the 1976 Eagles album.

It was announced by Thomas Jirgal, representing the Eagles, that the case had been settled as both parties had mutually agreed to dismiss the case. The dispute was initially put forward to the US District Court in Los Angeles but legal action was ceased on 17th January 2018. This was the same day that the court approved the action for the hoteliers to withdraw their application for a US trademark which was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The company who operates the Todos Santos hotel in Baja California Sur was accused of encouraging guests to believe it was associated with the classic rock band. It was said that the owners of the hotel would play Eagles songs in the lobby and sold Hotel California merchandise such as t-shirts and posters. However, the hotel denied any wrongdoing and stated that fans would be unlikely to get confused. Online reviews contradicted this.

This is clearly an instance of commercial good sense prevailing, and the parties avoiding the cost and negative publicity associated with litigation.

If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniel & Co. on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.