Summerfest files trademark lawsuit against Minnesota Twins for 'Summer Fest'

More like Minnesota Nice Try.

Wisconsin's neighbor to the west is apparently impressed with the iconic Milwaukee summer lakefront festival, and it's trying to steal some ideas.

But Summerfest, the annual three-weekend bonanza that bills itself as the World's Largest Music Festival, has filed a federal lawsuit citing trademark infringement against the Minnesota Twins baseball organization, which will host "TC Summer Fest" at Target Field in Minneapolis tonight and tomorrow.

They are the Twins after all, and we're flattered! But maybe let's just keep it to matching outfits or something next time, mmmk?

The Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. filed the lawsuit in the Western District of Wisconsin. The trademark registrations for Summerfest date as far back as 1972 for hosting the event itself and 1993 for merchandising. The first Summerfest took place in 1968.

MWF cited its presence in the Midwest using the term Summerfest, the proximity of dates and the fact that the event was marketed in areas that typically draw attendees to Summerfest, including western Wisconsin. The lawsuit also cites comments on social media demonstrating that concertgoers were experiencing legitimate confusion between the two events.

We know what the Minnesotans are thinking. They're channeling Vanilla Ice, who famously insisted the bass lines from "Ice Ice Baby" and Queen song "Under Pressure" were not the same because of one subtle note at the end. Surely the space and the extra capital letter make a difference!

The TC Summer Fest is even stealing one of Summerfest's headliners, Imagine Dragons, who played a sold out show at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on the final day of this year's Summerfest on July 8 and will perform at Target Field on July 15. Like Milwaukee's version of the concert, AJR was initially slated as an opener but had to withdraw because of the failing health of the band members' father.

The inclusion of Imagine Dragons and AJR actually makes its way into the lawsuit, with MWF further highlighting why potential attendees would get the two events confused.

The Killers play Friday night as the other major headliner. Other acts include Death Cab For Cutie and the Flaming Lips.

Though it's the first year of TC Summer Fest at Target Field, it's a spiritual continuation of Twin Cities Summer Jam, which began in 2019.

The lawsuit quotes Twins executive vice president Meka Morris, commenting on the similarities in name: She told the Star Tribune in May, “The name Summer Fest is an homage to the legacy of the Summer Jam, and a nod to the festival-style nature of this event. Summerfest in Milwaukee is certainly an iconic Midwest music event, aswe hope the TC Summer Fest will also become."

Man, isn't it bad enough that Minnesota claims to have more lakes than us? (Uh, wait, don't fact check our complaint here).

Summerfest has sent out 32 cease and desist letters to various entities in the past incorporating the Summerfest trademarks or similar marks since April of 2022. Eighteen agreed to rebrand and nine entered into licensed agreements with MWF. Four others are working through options.

It's not just musical festivals; the brand sued Red Lobster for trademark infringement in 2017 when the food chain used a "Lobster and Shrimp Summerfest" slogan.

Obviously, it isn't that novel to pair the words "summer" and "fest." There's a SummerFest in Washington state this weekend and another in Maryland in early July. There's even Summerfeste in Mukwonago every year in June.

But when it comes to scope and similarity … c'mon Minnesota Twins, you can steal a game from the Brewers in June but you can't steal our Summerfest. As penalty, we are stealing your best high-school athlete and bringing him to Wisconsin. As we often do.

The Twins will be back in Milwaukee at American Family Field on Aug. 22 and 23. The Brewers should hurry up and declare it "Twin Cities Night" and give everyone from Neenah and Menasha discounted admission.

Don't worry, western Wisconsin concertgoers; the event itself isn't in any danger of getting canceled. But just be warned sometimes you go to a show expecting to see the Muppets and you get the Moopets.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Summerfest files lawsuit against Minnesota Twins over 'Summer Fest'