Buc-ee’s Decides The Right Response To Pushback On Its Trademark Bullying Is To Invoke Partisanship
from the disown-the-libs dept
We’ve been detailing the trademark bullying ways of Buc-ee’s, famous gas station and convenience store chain in the American south and infamous IP bully, for over a year now. Buc-ee’s seems to think that any semi-related business that has branding that involves a cartoon animal or in any way references beavers somehow violates its trademark rights, no matter how absurd a claim of potential public confusion might be. I’ve likened them to the Monster Energy of convenience stores and it’s all gotten bad enough that John Oliver has dedicated multiple segments of his show to both highlight how shitty this company behaves and to dare them to sue him and his crew.
Now, the proper response to what is becoming a full on PR nightmare for the company would be to do some serious introspection, realize that its behavior is antagonistic and ultimately counter-productive, and then promise the public to do things better and differently in the future. Or, if you’re the Buc-ee’s brass, you instead publicly state that the only real problem here is all them damned libs.
Gas station and travel center chain Buc-ee’s said it will seek out “conservative, business friendly” states for new locations after receiving pushback over its decision to go after small business owners with allegedly similar logos.
“We have a lot of opportunities. We’re growing. We’re building in a lot of places, but when you find a conservative, business-friendly state with a phenomenal workforce, it makes a difference,” CEO Arch Aplin III said in a video clip posted by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R).
“And I’m starting to realize life’s too short to try to build in places that people don’t appreciate what you’re bringing versus a place like this, where people do appreciate what you’re building,” Aplin continued.
This response is so absurd as to be nearly a non-sequitur. Buc-ee’s has received public pushback for its trademark bullying ways in Missouri, Texas, South Carolina, and most recently Ohio. These are not bastions of left-wing government, folks. Hell, some of the most direct pushback in Ohio has come from its governor, Mike DeWine, who is a tried and true Republican.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has argued the company’s decision to sue a local business operator in Beavercreek, Ohio, for alleged trademark infringement was “ridiculous.”
I realize that the way we’re supposed to operate in 2026 is to reduce any and all conflict and conversation into some kind of red team, blue team partisanship, but that’s stupid and I won’t participate. And neither should you, in case that weren’t obvious. The pushback Buc-ee’s has received isn’t another spoke in the fabricated culture wars some craven politicians are attempting to push on everyone. It’s a result of a big company bullying tons of local small businesses for no reason that is actually justified by trademark law.
But if Buc-ee’s wants to take it’s beaver-ball and go home, fine. Whatever limits the spread of its trademark bullying is just fine with me.
Filed Under: arch aplin, john oliver, ohio, trademark, trademark bullying
Companies: buc-ee's
Comments on “Buc-ee’s Decides The Right Response To Pushback On Its Trademark Bullying Is To Invoke Partisanship”
Looks like I’ve been uninvited. It’s nice to get it out into the open at least.
Clearly in this case trying to make it a partisan/identity politics issue is a non sequitur, but when you say things like this
it sounds like you’re drawing false equivalence and implying there aren’t any important policy issues that break down on clear partisan lines.
Re:
The way I read it, he’s saying that a lot of people are turning “any and all conflict and conversation”—regardless of how trivial—into partisan bickering. Like, I’m sure there are plenty of people over at the Nazi Birdbar going on about how Grand Theft Auto 6 is “totally unwoke” and “taking shots at the libs” and other such bullshit. The issue is that doing such bullshit for everything only tends to entrench those divisions instead of helping us look for ways to bridge them. (Not that all such divisions need bridging, of course, but still.) The Buc-ee’s trademark situation is an example of something that is genuinely important; by turning it into a partisan bitchfest, the important legal matters will end up ignored in favor of frivolous culture war bullshit. Maybe that’s what Buc-ee’s management wants; it isn’t what the people they’re targeting deserve.
“If you don’t give us our way, we’ll leave!”
Good riddance.
I still want to know why the fake cowboy Arch Aplin III lied about his target having a federal trademark application.
Re:
Becuzse, as he pointed out, his target market are fucking morons and it doesn’t much matter what reality is as long as he says what he wants reality to be strongly.
Opposed to our lawsuit?
You’re a COMMUNIST!
Those goddamned, liberal, commies in… …Ohio? OK, whatever.
No, you misunderstand
No, you don’t get it. Aplin’s right. The American conservative party is the party of “the big company gets to fuck the little guys no matter what.”
As the saying goes, “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”
Buc-ee's lawsuits
Including Texas in his rant is stupid. First off, it is their home state. Second, except for the Austin area one would be hard pressed to find a Democrat anywhere. Third they have two assholes in the Senate right now, Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R). Ted Cruz has served since 2013. John Cornyn has served since 2002. Forth, the governor is still Governor Greg Abbott, and the super star Paxton is trying to take over.
Maybe Buc-ee the beaver needs to run for office.
Buc-ee’s trying the MAGA Hat defense? Did the Tin Foil Hat defense not work? I’m sure they’ll try anything they can… except logic.
Also this from the CEO.
Buc-ee’s CEO reveals why beloved chain is DONE with blue states…
https://www.dailymail.com/yourmoney/article-16075821/buc-ees-ceo-expansion-blue-states.html
The CEO needs to be asked live on air as to when they will be closing the stores in the blue states. Also ask what the plans are for the purple states.
Re:
Or just ask when they are closing shop in Texas and don’t let them make up reasons why Texas litigation is different than the other states.
Of course, in the long run, if they want to stay partisan about shit, you take note of what license plate numbers stop at a Buc-ee’s and then do the successful Tesla protest campaign tactics on the customers after their visits.
Re:
From the article:
Also traditional news media: WhY dOeS nObOdY tRuSt Us AnYmOrE?
(Yeah, I know it’s the Daily Mail, but it’s not like the others do much better.)
Thd title is incorret.
Buc-ee’s Decides The Right Response To Pushback On Its Trademark Bullying
Is To Invoke
Partisanship.Buc-ee’s Decides The Right Response To Pushback On Its Trademark Bullying
Is To Invoke Partisansh!t.
Partisan as in right wing and ship as in sh!t
Re:
Now you’ve just gone and made it redundant. Also, you can say “shit” here.
But that’s what the republican party stands for.
All hail the god, money, and whatever or whoever gets in the way shall be destroyed.
Republicans don’t hate epstein. They all wish they could be him or trump.
As someone from Beavercreek, the city is a right wing nightmare suburb, overflowing with corruption and ‘boys will be boys’ mentality. It’s a hard R city full of relentless Karens and dude’s who drive trucks and talk about ‘country life’ despite never hauling anything or ever doing an iota of physical labor in their lives.
The lawsuit probably helped to convert more people to more liberal positions than anything else this year. It’s wild.
Re:
Did Microsoft ever try to sue your place because of the name from the Halo multiplayer map?
Re: Re:
No, but we got a cease-and-desist when we tried naming our local hospital “Blood Gulch”.
Ah, being annoyed at a corporate bully while defending another business is unfriendly to business. Yeah, no one else you’ve sued for “trademark infringement” is a business (howwoukd that even work?) and that’s definitely not unfriendly behavior. @@
But hey, you chose your identity and your hill to stand on. Let the fun commence.
By ‘phenomenal workforce,’ I can only assume he means the kind of people who will never once consider unionizing or any other pro-worker agitating.
Buc-ee can fuc-ee off
It’s so neat that, without even asking, we get regular reminders of how many CEOs are absolute s**t-for-brains morons.
Sell Warner Bros to me instead.
First thing I’d do would be open a chain of ACME gas stations, with the trademarked smiling animal mascot with prominent teeth and big eyes on a circular background.
Try expanding into Wisconsin now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucky_Badger