Why Hotel California is in news

EAGLES?
Yes. But in this case, we are also talking about a hotel.

WHICH HOTEL?
It’s about Hotel California Todos Santos, an actual 11-room hotel in Todos Santos, Mexico.

AND?
The band has filed a lawsuit against the Mexican hotel.



WHAT KIND OF LAWSUIT?
The Eagles contend the Baja California establishment has been using the name to suggest a connection with the band for financial gain. A lawsuit was filed in the US District Court in Los Angeles

INFRINGEMENT?
Yes. Representatives for the 1970s rock group claimed that the ownership of the 67-year-old Hotel California is attempting to profit from the band’s 41-year-old chart-topper Hotel California.

THE NAME IS A COPYRIGHT NOW?
Yes. According to this filing, the proprietors ‘actively encourage consumers to believe that the hotel is associated with the Eagles to further their sale’. The lawsuit claimed the hotel sells merchandise — including t-shirts, posters, key chains etc — featuring the band's name and the cover art from its 1976 album Hotel California in which the song appeared. Previously, the band sued a Dallas restaurant called Hotel California Grill for trademark violation.

WHAT NOW?
The band is seeking a variety of damages and a halt to further such activities that they see as contraventions.

SO, NO DARK DESERT HIGHWAY, NO COOL WIND IN MY HAIR?
Well, history page of the hotel's website states: ‘Hotel California is accessed by driving down a long desert highway from either Los Cabos to the south or La Paz to the east. The Mission Church of Pilar is located directly adjacent to the hotel and mission bells are heard daily.’ You can figure out the ‘coincidental references’ here.