Published on Monday, July 17, 2017

Red Lion Hotels sues Hard Rock International

Red Lion Hotels' parent company has taken aim at Hard Rock International with a lawsuit alleging Hard Rock ripped off ideas from Red Lion's millennial focused brand.

Hard Rock is launching Reverb a new brand aimed at millennials, which RLH says is a knockoff of its own Hotel RL brand.

Hotel RL launched two years ago and was designed by The Gettys Group.

The brand features concepts such as barrista coffee bars and self-service check-in kiosks in the lobby, and a Living Stage for arts and music performances.

"While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and it is indeed understandable that Hard Rock would seek to imitate our brand's success in this market, we are not appreciative of Hard Rock's wholesale infringement of our trade dress with The Gettys Group's help," says RLH CEO Greg Mount.

Red Lion claims it 'plagiarizes the Hotel RL signature elements' and that is supported by Hard Rock's decision to instruct the same branding company Gettys Group.

"Hard Rock's infringement is particularly troubling in light of its aggressive litigation strategy to protect what it considers to be its own trade dress. RLH Corporation welcomes fair competition, but infringement of our trade dress is unfair and illegal," Mount added.

Red Lion is seeking unspecified damages, an injunction and a share of profits from the Reverb brand business.

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