Image via Buc-ee’s/Facebook, barceesdogspot/Instagram
It’s beaver versus dog in a legal showdown involving gas station giant Buc-ee’s claiming a small rest stop in Missouri called Barc-ee’s has infringed on its trademark rights. While there are similarities between the two, not everyone is going to agree that the smaller business did anything wrong.
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Regardless, Buc-ee’s has already filed a lawsuit against Barc-ee’s, which obviously has a similar-sounding name. Owned by Home Away From Home Dog Training, LLC, as reported by KDFW, the single-location rest stop in Missouri is focused on catering to dog owners.
Not only does the location sell food and coffee, it has pet products, a dog play area, EV charging stations, and other conveniences for road trippers.
Among the claims Buc-ee’s makes in its lawsuit are reportedly that the hyphenated name, curved logo around a cartoon mascot, a yellow circle, and even the fact the dog on the logo is brown with a red tongue constitutes trademark infringement.
Maybe some people would confuse Barc-ee’s with Buc-ee’s, we don’t know. We certainly wouldn’t, but we would automatically associate the two. Is that enough to prove legal damages to the larger, more famous company?
After all, Buc-ee’s has spent considerable resources building up its brand over the years, generating quite a bit of goodwill with the public. Sure, not everyone likes the giant gas stations, but it has a loyal following which would make a lot of businesses green with envy.
What’s even worse, though, is how Barc-ee’s reportedly has on its site articles talking about how Buc-ee’s was its inspiration. That fuels the argument that the smaller business is trying to ride on the giant’s coattails.
Of course, Barc-ee’s doesn’t believe it’s infringing on anyone’s trademark rights. But the little business is at a severe disadvantage having far fewer resources to win the legal battle. It might have to change its logo and some other things, plus pay some financial damages to the gas station chain.
It’s worth noting that in January of this year, Buc-ee’s sued Texas gas station Super Fuels for having a logo of a dog it argued was too similar. It seems the beaver isn’t afraid of a fight.
Image via Buc-ee’s/Facebook, barceesdogspot/Instagram
