The Eagles Sue Hotel California, Claim Mexican Hotel Deceives Guests

U.S. rock band, the Eagles have filed a lawsuit against the owners of a Mexican hotel named Hotel California, on Monday in Los Angeles. The band claims the owners used the name without permission – “Hotel California,” of course, is one of the Eagles most popular songs.

“Defendants lead U.S. consumers to believe that the Todos Santos Hotel is associated with the Eagles and, among other things, served as the inspiration for the lyrics in ‘Hotel California,’ which is false,” the complaint read.

The 11-room hotel was originally founded in 1950 with the name Hotel California – the song wasn’t released until 1977. The hotel went through a series of name changes until a Canadian couple purchased it in 2001 and changed the name back to Hotel California.

The complaint also claims that the hotel frequently plays “Hotel California” and other Eagles songs through out the hotel, furthering the false connection between the hotel and the band.

Hotel California Baja LLC, the company that owns the hotel, has applied with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register the Hotel California name.

The lawsuit seeks a damages and a halt of any infringement.

Don Henley, one of the founding members of the Eagles, has a history of getting angry at others for not properly licensing the name of his most famous song.

In 2014, Henley publicly bashed singer Frank Ocean for using the entire master track of the song without permission. Ocean’s song “American Wedding,” although with completely new lyrics, used “Hotel California” as a backing track. “American Wedding” appeared on a free mix-tape. As such, Ocean made no money directly from the song. Henley never sued Ocean for infringement.