Where is the real ‘Hotel California’? The Eagles sued a Mexico hotel over it.

Any time of year you can find it here in a small town in Baja California Sur — the “Hotel California.” You can check out any time — but don’t expect to leave with trademarked souvenirs associated with that famous song by The Eagles.

That’s because a Mexican company called Hotel California Baja LLC on Wednesday settled a legal dispute with The Eagles, withdrawing an application for a U.S. trademark for the name of the hotel that’s located in Todos Santos, a city in the state of Baja California Sur, about 1,000 miles south of San Diego. Reuters had the details. The two sides in the legal dispute filed paperwork to withdraw the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The terms of the settlement between The Eagles and the resort aren’t being disclosed. But up ahead in the distance is a shimmering light of an explanation. Let’s show you the way.

When did The Eagles first file a lawsuit?

The Eagles filed its trademark infringement suit against the resort in early May 2017, according to court documents. The Mexican resort responded to the suit a few weeks later “vigorously” denying any wrongdoing, per a Rolling Stone report.

What did the resort argue in court?

The Mexican resort said Hotel California had operated under that name since 1950, or some 26 years before the song came out, Rolling Stone reported. In a statement quoted by the magazine, the owners said the hotel “claim no association with the Eagles.”

What did The Eagles argue in court?

The band argued in court that Hotel California Baja was attempting to capitalize on The Eagles’ song by trademarking the name of the hotel and spurring sales of merchandise like T-shirts, posters, and refrigerator magnets, Reuters reported.

The band also claimed that the hotel “actively encouraged” guests to believe its association with the song by playing it in the lobby, The Guardian reported.

Will the resort no longer be called Hotel California?

The lawsuit is going away but the name of the hotel isn’t, according to a statement from the company.

Was this the inspiration to “Hotel California”?

According to Rolling Stone, the Mexican resort was originally called Hotel California when it opened in 1950 but changed names over the years. Its new Canadian owners reportedly purchased it in 2001 and restored the name.

The inspiration for the name of the song, however, was not a real-life hotel, Eagles lead singer Don Henley once told Rolling Stone. (Sorry, Hotel del Coronado, but you’re not it.)

"We were all middle-class kids from the Midwest. 'Hotel California' was our interpretation of the high life in Los Angeles,” Henley said.

Song jokes? We are programmed to receive...