July 7th 2023.
The Essence Festival in New Orleans was marred by a dispute between the organizers and a Black-owned bookstore. USA Today reported that the organizers had issued a cease-and-desist letter to the bookstore, claiming trademark infringement and misleading consumers attending the festival.
Fortunately, the situation has been resolved. Essence Festival's attorneys dropped the lawsuit against Lit Diaries and both parties released a joint statement, saying they had come to an understanding and would actively collaborate to rectify the situation.
Essence Festival's statement said that they were dedicated to protecting festival attendees and consumers and would take all necessary action. They also acknowledged that mistakes were made on both sides.
The dispute was centered around New Orleans' 'Clean Zone' ordinance, which prohibited events and vendors from specific areas around festival events. The ordinance expired earlier this week, but the impact it had on local businesses was felt.
City Council member Freddie King acknowledged this, and said he and other council members would look into it in the future. He assured that the ordinance wasn't meant to hurt local businesses, and that the city was committed to helping them thrive.
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