Buc-ee’s sues another company, this time, a Georgia convenience store
Buc-ee’sThe Texas-based travel center chain known for its mall-sized stores, barbecue items and beaver products is suing a small grocery store in Georgia, alleging trademark infringement.
In the trademark case filed on May 1 U.S. District Court for the Northern District of GeorgiaBuc-ee’s alleges that Teddy’s Market, a grocery store with two locations in the state, copied both the mascot and branding strategies.
Buc-ee’s says it built its Teddy’s brand around a smiling cartoon animal that resembles its own beaver, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.
Buc-ee also claimed that its cartoon animal mascot, which resembles Teddy’s beavers, has white eye highlights, a black nose, a hint of pink tongue, and lighter colors around its mouth set within a geometric shape with red highlights.
Besides the similar appearance, Buc-ee’s claims that the two names are extremely similar.
According to court records, “Buc-ee’s” and “Teddy’s” are two-syllable, six-letter possessive suffixes ending in the sound “eez” that lawyers for the gas station chain allege are “likely to cause confusion, error, and/or deception (to the extent that it has not already been caused) among consumers in the relevant market as to the source, affiliation, and/or origin of Teddy’s goods and services.”
What do Buc-ees want?
According to the complaint, Buc-ee’s is asking the court to pressure Teddy’s to stop using its existing trademark, destroy the infringing materials and turn over profits from the branding.
Apart from this, Buc-ee’s is also demanding Teddy’s to pay three times the profits from damages and the US Patent and Trademark Office to reject four trademark applications filed by the Georgia-based company in May 2024.
Karan Ahuja owns and runs Teddy. he told CBS News Atlanta He disagrees with the allegations made in the lawsuit and declined to comment further due to ongoing litigation. As of May 6, online court records do not show legal representation for Teddy’s Market.
Previous Buc-ee’s lawsuits
This isn’t the first time Buc-ee’s has sued a company for allegedly copying its famous beaver mascot and overall branding.
In February, Buc-ee filed a lawsuit against Coles IP Holdings, LLC, owner of Ohio convenience store and gas station chain Mickey Mart, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition. According to the website Mickey Mart roughly 42 locations in OhioThe logo features a smiling cartoon deer inside a red hexagon. In Buc-ee’s complaint, the chain argues that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own logo: a toothy beaver wearing a red ball cap in a bright yellow circle. Buc-ee’s court documents say both animals are facing right and have wide eyes and smiles.
