Bring your alibis: Eagles settle legal case against real-life Hotel California

The Eagles have settled their legal case against a Mexican hotel named Hotel California after the establishment withdrew its application to trademark the name in the US.

The band had claimed that the hotel, located in Todos Santos, “actively encouraged” guests to believe it was affiliated with the band by playing their music in the lobby and selling merchandise related to their 1976 album Hotel California. They also alleged in court documents that the proprietors led consumers to believe that the hotel “served as the inspiration for the lyrics in Hotel California, which is false”.

The owners had “flatly denied” any wrongdoing or that they had stoked any confusion, but the Eagles’ lawyer, Thomas Jirgal, says the case has been settled “by mutual agreement”.

The Eagles’ single Hotel California reached No 1 in the US charts in 1977 and won a Grammy award for record of the year.