News October 09, 2026
Buc-ee’s Settles Trademark Lawsuit Against Ohio Chain Mickey’s Convenience Stores
The original lawsuit was filed by the travel-stop chain in February, while Mickey’s owner Coles IP Holdings countersued in April.
Key Takeaways
• Buc-ee’s has settled its trademark dispute with Ohio chain Mickey’s over claims the retailer’s moose logo resembled Buc-ee’s beaver mascot.
• The case is the latest in Buc-ee’s aggressive trademark enforcement campaign against businesses it says mimic its branding.
• The dispute underscores the need for promo companies to vet customer logos and designs for potential trademark issues.
Buc-ee’s and Coles IP Holdings, the owner of Ohio chain Mickey’s Convenience Stores, have reached a truce over a drawn-out trademark infringement lawsuit.
According to court documents, Buc-ee’s alleged that Mickey’s logo, a smiling cartoon moose, is too similar to its own. The Buc-ee’s logo features a smiling yellow beaver wearing a red baseball cap with white “BUC-EE’S” letters and is known as Bucky Beaver, a nod to founder Arch “Beaver” Aplin III’s childhood nickname.
The lawsuit also alleged that Mickey’s, which used to be called Mickey Mart, would create confusion among customers because it “closely resembles” the Buc-ee’s trademark.
Coles IP Holdings countersued in April, stating that the claims “ignore reality” and that consumers can distinguish between a moose and a beaver.
The settlement terms are not specified in court records, USA Today reports.
Mickey’s is one of a long list of businesses across the country Buc-ee’s has sued, including Teddy’s Market (Georgia), Barc-ee’s (Missouri) and Super Fuels (Texas).
Earlier this summer, Comedian John Oliver mocked the company on HBO’s Last Week Tonight by creating a parody mascot, outfitted with apparel that read “Buc-Off.” He dared the company, which operates 56 stores across 12 states, to sue him too, but it instead went after Beaver’s Mini Mart in Beavercreek, OH, based on claims that its smiling beaver logo and red-letter branding would cause confusion among customers. That case is still being fought in court.
Last month, Buc-ee’s won its legal battle with South Carolina-based apparel brand Born United after the company had sold a T-shirt featuring what appeared to be the Buc-ee’s beaver in tactical gear. Born United was ordered to pay Buc-ee’s $850,000, to stop selling any merch featuring the beaver and to destroy all other items with the design.
Trademark infringement cases like this one offer a reminder for promo companies to conduct due diligence when customers come to them with an idea for a slogan, word or design. These logos, or ones like them, could be trademarked by someone else and a client might not know.