from the cowards dept
Buc-ee’s trademark bullying ways continue! This company that has long been famous for its enormous gas station and convenience stores practically dripping in Americana is quickly building a national reputation for itself as a petulant trademark bully. It’s lawsuits are typically dumb and usually feature Buc-ee’s claim that it somehow owns every cartoon animal mascot depiction for convenience stores and gas stations, and even cartoon human mascots at times. It’s so bad that it even caught the attention of John Oliver recently, resulting in the show creating its own merchandise that is far more similar to the Buc-ee’s beaver than most of its lawsuit victims and Oliver literally begging them to file a lawsuit over it.
Well, the Buc-ee’s people appear to be cowards. Oliver made it clear that he and HBO have the willingness and legal war chest to do battle with Buc-ee’s. To date the company has not filed any lawsuit against Oliver or HBO. But it did just file another trademark suit against another small local convenience store after having just moved into the market.
Buc-ee’s, which opened its first location in Ohio earlier this year, is suing Beaver’s Mini Mart in Beavercreek for what they allege is trademark infringement.
In the suit, filed days ago, Buc-ee’s alleges that the Mini Mart’s cartoon beaver mascot is too similar to their own, with its “wide eyes and a smile” that also “uses red as a predominant color,” and could cause confusion.
The new Buc-ee’s location in Huber Heights, Ohio, is 16 miles from Beaver’s Mini Mart. Beaver’s Mini Mart customers say they have been shopping there for decades, while Buc-ee’s has existed in the Buckeye State only since April.
This is common practice for Buc-ee’s. The company expands into a new market and goes on a trademark suit blitz against anyone using one of these cartoon animal logos, beaver or otherwise. It doesn’t matter how long the victim company has been doing business there. It doesn’t matter how ingrained into the community they are. It doesn’t matter if every local in the area insists that there’s no confusion to be had between the two entities.
In this case, the Beaver’s Mini Mart has been around for decades. The entire community is awash in beaver-y iconography. I’ll let one of our anonymous commenters from our John Oliver post chime in here.
They are now trying to sue a place near where I grew up, the “Beavers MiniMart” convenience store in Beavercreek Ohio, where the local high school, Beavercreek High School, once had Bucky the Beaver as a mascot for their football team, the Battling Beavers, their cheerleaders are called the Beaverettes and there’s pep squad called the Beaver Patrol. There’s concrete statues that are 6-8 feet tall, all over the city. The city loves it’s fuckin’ beavers. Buc-ee’s probably doesn’t know what’s about to happen to them. It wont be pretty.
The signage from Buc-ee’s own lawsuit show just how unalike the branding for the two companies is.
From this, and wielding a trademark Buc-ee’s somehow has on the word “Beaver’s” Buc-ee’s alleges that there will be “confusion among consumers,” that the Mini Mart is trading on Buc-ee’s “goodwill,” and that all of this is causing “irreparable injury” to Buc-ee’s.
Ironically, it appears this very lawsuit is causing a dip in all of that supposed goodwill Buc-ee’s has in this particular community.
“Reading into it more that Buc-ee’s has gone after other companies over this… It just put a bad taste in my mouth because they just seem like such a fun company,” resident Sam Bryan told Nexstar’s WDTN. “To see this, that they’re coming after a small business like this, it upset me like it did a lot of Beavercreek residents.”
The town is named Beavercreek, the branding doesn’t look anything alike, and nobody is going to be confused about any of this. Buc-ee’s knows all of that. But trademark bullies typically just can’t help themselves and this is yet another in a long list of bullshit trademark lawsuits the company has filed.
If Beaver’s Mini Mart fights this, however, it would be an interesting move in its defense to point out that there is no similar lawsuit against John Oliver.
Filed Under: john oliver, trademark, trademark bullying
Companies: beaver's mini mart, buc-ee's, hbo
Comments on “Buc-ee’s Shies Away From John Oliver Challenge, Sues Tiny Ohio Convenience Store Instead”
I wonder if John Oliver can convince HBO to fund this store’s legal defense.
Re:
No need, just have HBO slip John Oliver’s logo to the store in promotional materials to give HBO standing to attack Buc-ee’s.
Get it into the evidence cases and suddenly you have HBO kicking the less financially sound Buc-ee’s in the teeth.
Then start tying them to the Steele porn copyright trolling and Buc-ee’s is done.
My coworkers were excited buccees was coming to Phoenix. Having grown up in NJ, I don’t know what all the fuss is over a truckstop. Now if it was a WaWa, they have a point.
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Buc-ees is specifically not a truck stop, they ban truckers from their parking lots and actually enforce it. There’s ‘truckers against Buc-ees’ groups on FB
Re:
Wawa > Sheetz > Royal Farms > 7-11
Buc-ee’s isn’t even in the running.
Re: Re:
Perhaps Rutter’s needs to expand more quickly. It’s already here in NoVa and Md.
https://csnews.com/convenience-store-news-reveals-winners-2026-foodservice-innovators-awards
https://csnews.com/convenience-store-news-announces-winners-2025-foodservice-innovators-awards
https://csnews.com/rutters-comes-out-top-global-foodservice-poll
I assume this will become another one of those Chic-fil-a situations where everyone visiting acknowledges they do bad things, “but the product is sooooo goood.” People need to grow up and experience minor inconveniences to use their only public voice left, money. Don’t give Buc-ee’s money.
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That’s just it though, they dont have a better product. They have an ugly beaver plastered on products and they sell a bunch of other normal gas station products. I dont get why people think buc-ees is so special.
Unfortunately, telling a court that a company suing you didn’t sue some other company generally earns one a mild rebuke by the judge. How a party behaves vis-a-vis non-parties is not usually relevant.
Also:
This assumes we know what the Buc-ee’s logo looks like.
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In any event, this should be a easy fight, if they can fight. Beaver’s has priority of use geographically (in addition to “no likelihood of confusion” part).
Re:
With trademarks, it most certainly is important.
Buc-ee’s arrogance
I’m surprised that s-hole hasn’t sued “Leave it to Beave” not haven’t tried to eliminate the animal because of copy right baloney.
Plaintiff: “Our trademarks are too similar and can cause confusion! You must fix this!”
Judge, in a sane world: “You are right. Buc-ee’s is here-by ordered to change their logo mascot, name, and predominant coloring to avoid confusion.”
This apparently has enough people mad that Arch Aplin felt the need to come out with some bullshit excuses.
I’d almost like to say we should declare Buc-ee’s as the biggest cowards ever, but the Republican Senator caucus exists. But they’re a solid runner-up.
Fun with trademarks
There’s a part of me that wishes Ohio State University would go after Buc-ee’s because it’s too similar to Buckeyes.
What’s next? Buc-ee’s suing international airports for replicating their stink, concentration of human humidity, and likelihood to spread infectious diseases?
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Their next target is actual beavers.
Buc-ee’s BS
California boy here. No Buc-ees here. Were there, I’d shop anywhere else, to their exclusion. Move into a town and start suing. Just duh.
Ohio governor chimes in
Governor Mike DeWine added his two cents. “They need to dismiss this lawsuit. This is ridiculous. It is Beavercreek for heaven’s sake. You know. You expect to find in Beavercreek things named ‘beaver’.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/dewine-says-buc-ees-drop-204243336.html
This is shyster lawyer stuff from Buc-ees. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest their crotches.
“Oh, shit, Oliver and HBO can out-lawyer and outspend us, what will we do?”
“I suggest running away and then look for some little hick store that has a cartoon beaver as their logo and attempt to sue the hell out of them for trademark infringement.”
“Sounds good, they won’t have the money or time to fight us. I feel so much better now.”
Legal Eagle has quite a good take on all of this, saying how some companies even changed their logos to beavers in light of what is happening to Beaver’s Mini Mart. So even if they win the suit, they’ve already lost in the court of public opinion.
Lived in the area...
For about 7 years well over a decade ago. Beavercreek is indeed beaver crazy. This isn’t going to end well for Buc-ees… and given that Ohio is the “Buckeye state” it’s almost certain they’ll try it with other “buck-” themed mom & pops in the state.
While I’m tempted to sit back and point and laugh as they wake up Ohio to Buc-ee’s obvious bad faith, lawsuits are ruinous to small businesses whether they fight them or fold. That’s probably the entire point. Buc-ees is picking on people that can’t easily fight back. Sounds like a grass roots campaign might be in order. Small businesses pool their smaller contributions into larger funds to fight off frivolous lawsuits from legal bullying by large corporations.