Buc-ee's is suing yet another convenience store, this time in Ohio, for a cheerful mascot the travel stop giant claims is too similar to its own.
Buc-ee's filed a lawsuit against Coles IP Holdings, LLC, which owns the Ohio convenience store and gas station chain Mickey Mart, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on Feb. 18. Buc-ee's is suing for trademark infringement and unfair competition. Buc-ee's is also trying to cancel Coles IP Holdings' trademark registrations, a process that began in August 2025, according to court documents.
With about 42 Ohio locations, according to its website, Mickey Mart features a smiling cartoon moose within a red hexagon as its logo. Buc-ee's argues, in court documents, that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own – a toothy beaver wearing a red ballcap inside a bright yellow circle. Both animals are facing right and display wide eyes and a smile, Buc-ee's says in court documents.
In addition to the logo, Buc-ee's argues, in court documents, that Mickey Mart is transitioning its branding to "Mickey's" at its stores, on signage and online, which "closely resembles" the Buc-ee's trademark.
"(Mickey Mart's) unauthorized use of (Buc-ee's) logos is likely to cause confusion among consumers," Buc-ee's states in court documents. "Consumers are likely to perceive a connection or association as to the source, sponsorship or affiliation of the parties’ products and services, when in fact none exists, given the similarity of the parties’ logos, trade channels and consumer bases."
