When you think of famously litigious companies, your mind likely drifts first to giants like Apple, Disney, and Nintendo.
Go ahead and add Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based gas station and travel center company, to the list.
It’s spent years taking smaller brands to task for copyright infringement, and it’s just filed a new complaint that will put its legal mettle to the test once again.
Buc-ee’s, founded in 1982, has long been known for iconic snacks such as its Beaver Nuggets, beef jerky, and brisket sandwiches. In recent years, though, as the company has continued to expand through the South and into the Midwest, it’s also developed a reputation for defending its IP with an iron fist. It has sued competitors, apparel brands, and small businesses over logos, mascots, and names that it argues are too similar to its grinning beaver.
The brand’s previous targets have included fellow travel stop chains Choke Canyon (for its cartoon alligator mascot) and Mickey’s (for its moose mascot), as well as a Missouri dog park and coffee shop called Barc-ee’s.
Now, Buc-ee’s has filed a complaint against a small business called Beaver’s Mini Mart in Beavercreek, Ohio, alleging that the store’s name, logo, and color scheme is “likely to cause confusion among consumers.”
Inside Buc-ee’s complaint against Beaver’s Mini Mart
On July 28, Buc-ee’s filed a claim with an Ohio district court alleging that Beaver’s Mini Mart, a small convenience store chain, had infringed on its trademark and engaged in unfair competition.
The action comes after the opening of Buc-ee’s first-ever Ohio location on April 6 in the Huber Heights neighborhood, just a few miles northwest of Beavercreek.
The filing points out several similarities between Buc-ee’s and Beaver’s Mini Mart’s branding that Buc-ee’s identifies as problematic. These include:
“Defendant has used the trade name “Beaver’s” and a cartoon beaver logo in connection with its convenience store operations.”
“Like the Buc-ee’s Marks, Defendant’s Marks incorporate a cartoon beaver with wide eyes and a smile.”
“Defendant also uses red as a predominant color in its exterior signage with its anthropomorphic representation of a cartoon beaver mascot.”
Taken together, Buc-ee’s lawyers argue, these details are likely to mislead customers into perceiving “a connection or association as to the source, sponsorship, or affiliation of the parties’ products and services,” when, in fact, none exists.
“It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake”
Following Buc-ee’s filing, both Ohio locals and netizens watching the story unfold have shown an outpouring of support for Beaver’s Mini Mart.
Cincy Shirts, a Cincinnati-based apparel brand, created a T-shirt and hat design that will directly benefit Beaver’s Mini Mart’s legal funds. In a statement to USA Today, the brand explained: “Small businesses need to stick together, and we are proud to add Beaver’s Mini-Mart to the list of partners we’ve worked with. As soon as we heard their story, we reached out right away.”
One Reddit thread on the filing has amassed nearly 500 upvotes and over 100 comments. “It seems so backwards for Buc-ee’s to do this,” one user wrote. “I don’t see anyone supporting what they’re doing, and it’s hard to see this being a positive for them in any way. Even if they get their way, all they did was tank their relationship with customers.”
Even Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has weighed in on the issue. In an interview with The Columbus Dispatch at the Ohio State Fair, he said: “They need to dismiss this lawsuit. This is ridiculous. It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake.”
Buc-ee’s did not respond to Fast Company‘s request for comment.
“We hope that Buc-ee’s will drop their lawsuit soon,” Beaver’s Mini Mart owner Vic Boparai told Ohio TV station WDTN 2 News. “We could never have anticipated this situation developing, and could not have imagined the support from the entire community. “Beavercreek is a great place for our family and our business.”
