Texas travel stop Buc-ee's sues South Carolina clothing company, alleges it copied famous beaver logo
Beloved Texas-based travel stop Buc-ee's is in a legal battle with a South Carolina-based clothing and accessories company over a beaver logo on its merchandise, according to court documents filed last month.
Buc-ee's alleges that Born United, which sells merchandise featuring patriotic themes and slogans, is exploiting its reputation by using what appears to be its famous beaver logo.
Photos attached to the lawsuit show a beaver, similar to the Buc-ee's beaver, on items like a t-shirt, shorts and a clothing patch.
Born United t-shirt, left; Buc-ee's store front, right.
Buc-ee's is suing for trademark infringement; false designation of origin and unfair competition; common law trademark infringement; and unfair competition under South Carolina's trade practices act.
The items labeled "TAC-BUCC" have since been removed from Born United's website.
Not the first time Buc-ee's has claimed copyright infringement
In 2018, Buc-ee's argued that San Antonio's Choke Canyon's cartoon logo of an alligator licking its lips is too similar to the company's signature logo illustration of a beaver wearing a baseball cap.
In 2023, a knock-off of Buc-ee's opened in Mexico, dubbed Buk-ii's Super Mercado. Buk-ii's said its mascot is a gopher rather than the famous Buc-ee's beaver.
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