Baggu X BART? Not so fast!

Baggu X BART? Not so fast!

From The Merch Drop by Rich Graham

October 9, 2025 · 8 min · Episode 185

About this episode

The episode discusses Baggu's controversial giveaway at their San Francisco store opening and the ensuing crisis with BART over intellectual property issues.

When is “ask forgiveness, not permission” a good idea? Baggu found out the hard way. At their new San Francisco store opening, the sustainable bag brand gave away BART-branded water bottles, hats, and stickers — without permission from Bay Area Rapid Transit. It wasn't really BART merch, Baggu thought it was OK to knock off the BART logo and make it their own. Not good! The stunt went viral, drew backlash, and pushed Baggu into crisis-control talks with BART about a legitimate merch partnership. This breakdown covers how a giveaway meant to celebrate a store launch turned into a lesson on intellectual property, licensing, and how official collaborations can build more trust (and less chaos). --- Equipment we're using: Sony ZV-1 (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/36LK8e2 Sony ZV-1 Vlogger Accessory Kit (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3mSNT72 Shure SM58 Microphone (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/3axqoeW RODECaster Pro Production Studio - https://amzn.to/3rViinT Switchpod by Pat Flynn (affiliate link) - https://bigpromo.link/switchpod Elgato Stream Deck (affiliate link) - https://amzn.to/2S1CcNJ Software and services we like: Broadcasting with Ecamm Live - get a trial now…

People in this episode

Host: Rich Graham

Topics covered

  • intellectual property
  • licensing
  • merch partnerships
  • crisis management
  • branding
  • entrepreneurship

Keywords

  • Baggu
  • BART
  • merchandise
  • intellectual property
  • crisis control
  • branding
  • entrepreneurship

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Baggu, BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit

Products: BART-branded water bottles, hats, stickers

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