- Hot Girl Walk is suing a company formerly known as Hot Girl Walk Miami for copyright infringement.
- The lawsuit claims that Hot Girl Walk Miami created confusion between the two brands.
- The Hot Girl Walk trend, which originated on TikTok, encourages four-mile outdoor walks for women.
A Delaware fitness brand often credited with kickstarting the “hot girl walk” trend on TikTok is suing another business for using a similar name in Florida.
Hot Girl Walk, which sells apparel and hosts events under the same name, is accusing M&L MIA LLC — formerly known as Hot Girl Walk Miami, records show — of “infringing, misusing, and trading on Plaintiff’s well-known HOT GIRL WALK® trademark” by hosting walks and outdoor events and using a similar name for personal branding, per the lawsuit filed on July 11.
The lawsuit also claims that Monica Villegas and Lucia Di Tore, the two people behind M&L MIA LLC, tried to pass themselves off as the “originators of this trademark.”
“Thus, it is clear Defendants were well aware of the HGW brand originated by Ms. Lind and are intentionally trading off the goodwill created by Ms. Lind in the brand,” per the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Amelia Lind, the woman behind Hot Girl Walk, had “originated” the concept in 2021 and has been providing “fitness training and inspirational messaging based on her program that includes, but is not limited to, a four-mile outdoor walk where the focus is on three things: being grateful, achievement of personal goals and feeling good about yourself.” Hot Girl Walk is trademarked by Lind, according to US Patent and Trademark Office records.
The lawsuit also claims that Lind previously contacted Villegas and Di Tore to bring them under the Hot Girl Walk United program, made up of local chapters under the Hot Girl Walk brand.
Lind is suing for federal trademark infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin, and common law infringement and unfair competition. Hot Girl Walk asks that the pair be permanently banned from selling merch with the Hot Girl Walk Miami branding. The company also asks to recoup any profits made by their competitor while selling Hot Girl Walk Miami merchandise.
The Hot Girl Walk Miami Instagram page no longer exists, and recent events hosted by the pair are referred to as “Girls on the Walk Miami,” according to personal Instagram accounts from Villegas and Di Tore.
Villegas, Di Tore, and a lawyer for Lind did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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