Legendary rock band Eagles, Ltd. (The Eagles), filed suit on May 1 against the owners of the Hotel California Baja LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The suit alleges trademark infringement and common law unfair competition by the owners, Debbie and John Stewart (owners).
The hotel originally opened in the 1950s under the name Hotel California, decades before the rock band released its hit song by the same name. However, since opening, the hotel has gone through multiple name and ownership changes, most recently as the Todos Santos Hotel. On Nov. 16, 2015, the defendants filed a trademark application at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register use of the name HOTEL CALIFORNIA on goods, such as T-shirts and other clothing.