After about six hours of deliberation, a jury in Houston found Tuesday that Choke Canyon company’s alligator logo violated state and federal trademark law, infringing on the pre-established Buc-ee’s beaver mark established by the popular Texas road stop chain.
“It’s absolutely not about a beaver versus an alligator,” said Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s Ltd. “There are more than 10 similarities between the two marks that we presented to the jury in this case.”
[…]
The judge asked the lawyers to meet and try to hammer out an injunction on how to deal of trademarked materials that violate the jury’s finding.
The damages phase of the trial remains pending.
See here for the background, and here for a later version of the story. Six hours of deliberation for a week-long trial is pretty darned quick. I may have been skeptical based on my view of the two logos, but I wasn’t there in court and neither were you. We’ll see what the damages look like.
This appeats to be BS. I fail to see how any reasonable consumer would confuse the two. To make it obvious that it isnt buc-ees the competition should simply post a sign stating…average gas and go here under a half hour. No one would ever confuse Buc-ees with that.
I agree with Tom. I didn’t hear the evidence but man I don’t see how you could get confused.
I agree with Tom. I didn’t hear the evidence but man I don’t see how you could get confused.
If you clean your bathrooms, buc ee could get you next!
Only buc ee can sell Texas themed stuff!
Other than a yellow circle, I don’t see anything in common. What are these other 9? The cartoon critters are in no way similar, other than they both face right.
Red tongues. Facing right. Aquatic. Hat.
Plus no one else is allowed to clean their restrooms. Or sell Texas crap. Or tshirts. Or koozies. Only buc ee.
Friend of mine has a business that supplies a particular product to Buc-ees. Buc’s decided to expose the extremely detailed, proprietary ‘recipe’ of her product to the open market to see if some other producer could replicate the product and sell it to them at a reduced rate. Snakes.
Working there doesn’t appear to be all that, either…
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Buc-ee-s-Reviews-E328092.htm
I wonder if there’s a GoFundMe page set up to pay for the Gator’s appeal. I’ll happily donate.
You want a line around you head? Cannot be black. Only buc ee can have black line around head. You want a dirty bathroom? That ok with buc ee.
Teeth? Again, only buc ee. This just common sense. Use you head, but no black line around, or else!
Maybe they should change their name to ‘Not Buc-ees Bar-B-Q’.
What ever you do, do not poke you ears thru you hat!!!! Only buc ee!
Just saw a pic of Mayor Turner wearing a red hat, showing his teeth, in front of a yellow circle. Look like buc ee gonna get all the city monies!