Buc-ee's, the Texas-based travel center chain known for its smiling cartoon beaver mascot, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a small Ohio mini-mart, alleging that the store's logo too closely resembles its own iconic branding.

Beaver's Mini Mart, located in Beavercreek, Ohio, was sued by Buc-ee's late last month, according to WLWT. The chain alleges that the mini-mart used a smiling cartoon beaver logo alongside red coloring that closely mimics Buc-ee's federally registered trademarks.

Buc-ee's stated it has used its cartoon beaver logo for more than four decades and holds several federal trademark registrations, according to the outlet. The company also argues that Beaver's Mini Mart began using its logo only after Buc-ee's had already established its trademark rights, and that the similarity could create "confusion among consumers" about whether the store is affiliated with the chain.

Under U.S. trademark law, holders of registered marks are generally expected to actively police and enforce them; failure to do so can weaken claims of distinctiveness over time. That legal framework often leads brand owners to pursue enforcement even against small, dissimilar businesses.

Buc-ee's opened its first Ohio location earlier this year near Dayton, in April. Beaver's Mini Mart, however, has no gas pumps, is situated miles from the nearest interstate, and was in operation well before Buc-ee's expanded into the state.

The mini-mart has been owned and operated by Vik Boparai for more than a decade — years before Buc-ee's first expanded beyond Texas in 2018 and long before its Ohio debut. Under the Lanham Act, which governs U.S. federal trademark law, prior commercial use of a mark in a geographic area can serve as a defense, though outcomes depend on factors including mark similarity and market overlap. According to The Cincinnati Enquirer, beavers are a popular mascot throughout Beavercreek, with numerous local businesses and the high school featuring the animal.

"I don't know why they would sue a small business like mine," Boparai told the outlet. "I have two kids and this store is how I feed them."

Beavercreek Councilman Zach Upton also questioned the lawsuit, calling it apparent overreach and saying customers are unlikely to confuse the two businesses.

"Common sense is not prevailing," Upton said. "I can't imagine anyone would be confused by the mini mart and Buc-ee's. It's not even in the same ballpark."

The lawsuit adds to a series of legal actions Buc-ee's has taken against smaller businesses with cartoon animal logos. The chain previously sued a smaller gas station chain over a cartoon dog logo it argued was too similar to its beaver trademark.

The litigation also drew the attention of HBO's "Last Week Tonight" host John Oliver, who dedicated a segment on the July 26 episode to Buc-ee's litigation history. Oliver noted that the chain has filed more than a dozen lawsuits and issued additional threats against companies with animal mascots, even when the logos bore little resemblance to Buc-ee's branding.

"Buc-ee's loves to sue other companies, particularly those with animal mascots," Oliver said.

Oliver said Buc-ee's has prevailed in nearly all of the cases because defendants typically settle and redesign their logos, or because, in his words, "most just don't have the resources to fight a company this big." He cited a legal expert who cautioned that Buc-ee's aggressive litigation strategy could eventually lead to a confrontation with a well-resourced opponent.

"And that is where we come in," Oliver said. "Because, it turns out, we very much have the will to get into a fight with Buc-ee's."

Oliver then reintroduced Mr. Nutterbutter, a 7-foot-tall squirrel mascot originally created for a 2017 segment targeting former coal executive Bob Murray, who filed an unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against the show and HBO. The program designed a cartoon logo for Mr. Nutterbutter and placed it on merchandise including tumblers, hats, shirts, onesies, mugs, and pajamas, available for a limited time at Buc-Off.com.

"So, if any prominent gas station chain out there has an issue with our new logo and products and wants to get lawyers involved, then you know what? Bring it the f--- on. Although remember, in doing so, you'd be directly taking food out of hungry people's mouths," Oliver said. He noted that all profits from the merchandise would be donated to Hunger Free America, a nonprofit organization working to end domestic hunger.

Fox Business has reached out to Buc-ee's for comment.