A carryout in Beavercreek, Ohio, has drawn widespread attention on social media after telling customers it is being sued by Buc-ee’s over its beaver logo.
Beaver's Mini Mart is far smaller than Buc-ee’s, operating as a small family-owned business on a street corner in the Dayton suburb. Its logo also features a beaver.
The mini mart said earlier this week that it had become the latest target of Buc-ee’s trademark lawsuits, which were highlighted in a July segment on HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver.” Oliver cited several lawsuits Buc-ee’s has filed against smaller businesses using cartoon beaver images similar to the chain’s mascot.
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Earlier this year, Buc-ee’s opened its first Ohio location in Huber Heights, about a 20-minute drive from Beavercreek.
After Beaver's Mini Mart announced the lawsuit, local and state leaders came to the business’s defense, saying the name and logo were inspired by the city’s history — not the Texas-based chain known for its massive gas stations.
The city of Beavercreek said its name traces back to early European hunters and settlers, who named Big Beaver Creek and Little Beaver Creek after the area’s large native beaver population.
The Beavercreek City Council is expected to vote on a resolution affirming the beaver as the city’s historic symbol.
“For the citizens of Beavercreek, the beaver is not just a corporate marketing device,” the resolution states. “It is a recognized representation of the city’s identity, history and values, held in common by generations of residents.”
Buc-ee’s did not mention that connection in its federal lawsuit.
In the filing, Buc-ee’s argued Beaver's Mini Mart’s logo “is likely to cause confusion among consumers.” The company said consumers could incorrectly assume “a connection or association as to the source, sponsorship, or affiliation of the parties’ products and services.”
The lawsuit seeks to block Beaver's Mini Mart from using the logo and asks the business to pay Buc-ee’s legal fees.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine criticized the lawsuit in comments to The Columbus Dispatch.
“They need to dismiss this lawsuit. This is ridiculous,” DeWine said. “It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake. You expect to find in Beavercreek things named ‘beaver.’”
Some Ohio businesses also have launched fundraising campaigns to help Beaver's Mini Mart pay for its legal defense.
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Scripps News has contacted Buc-ee’s for comment.
