Milwaukee music festival accuses TC Summer Fest of trademark infringement
TC Summer Fest — which the Minnesota Twins are putting on for the first time this year — takes place Friday and Saturday at Target Field, featuring headlining artists the Killers and Imagine Dragons. But 300 miles away in Milwaukee, a music festival by an almost identical name has been running for 55 years.
The organizers of Summerfest filed a federal lawsuit Thursday accusing TC Summer Fest of trademark infringement, claiming the new music festival’s name has already created confusion.
There is no indication the Target Field event is in danger of being canceled, but Milwaukee World Festival wants a judge to stop the Twins from using “TC Summer Fest” branding, including any variation of the words “summer” and “fest.”
According to the lawsuit, Milwaukee World Festival has owned the Summerfest trademark since 1993 and sent a cease and desist letter in June that said the “Twins are attempting to capitalize on MWF’s well-known brand.”
The filing also quotes Twins executive vice president and chief business officer Meka Morris directly comparing the Minneapolis festival with the one in Milwaukee: “Summerfest in Milwaukee is certainly an iconic Midwest music event, as we hope the TC Summer Fest will also become.”
This year the two events share a headlining artist in Imagine Dragons, and the lawsuit claims Milwaukee World Festival’s media department has been contacted for information regarding the event at Target Field.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to the Twins for comment and is waiting to hear back.
