If you thought we were done with the trademark bullying drama resulting from gas station and convenience store chain Buc-ee’s, you were wrong. While we’re still waiting for this corporation to take up John Oliver’s request to sue him for creating parody merchandize of the Buc-ee’s brand, the company has decided to do what bullies always do and pick on smaller entities instead.
Speaking of parody, over the summer Buc-ee’s sued Born United, a clothing and merch brand that specifically makes parody products of famous brands. Interestingly, one of the owners of Born United at the time was Tom Fernandez, a South Carolina state senator. Fernandez was pretty adamant that Born United would fight this suit and wouldn’t back down.
In the intervening months, two things that just might be related have occurred. First, Fernandez sold off his ownership stake in the company. Second, Born United settled the case with Buc-ee’s, agreeing to pay the bullying corporate giant nearly a million dollars.
A South Carolina apparel retailer has been ordered to stop selling clothing featuring an unauthorized version of Buc-ee’s beaver logo and to pay the Texas-based convenience store chain $850,000, according to WCIV. Born United, which operates stores in North Charleston, Summerville and Myrtle Beach, was sued by Buc-ee’s in 2025 along with owners Cameron Bechtold, Jared Williams and Josiah Bradley, WCIV reported.
The lawsuit centered on the company’s use of a design resembling Buc-ee’s trademarked beaver logo.
Some speculation on my end, but I’m going to ahead and assess this as cowardice across the board. Do I know that the lawsuit was at least part of the reason Fernandez dipped from his ownership stake in Born United? I don’t, but the timing makes me think that’s the case. And did his bailing out loosen the spine of the rest of the folks at Born United? That seems overwhelmingly likely as well.
Not that I can blame them. Buc-ee’s is big, has lawyers, and has plenty of money to throw around to power its bullying tactics. Born United wants to survive and without the implied imprimatur of a government official in ownership, things probably got a whole lot more dangerous.
It’s just too bad that the only vanguards against Buc-ee’s trademark abuse currently are a TV show host and a small convenience store in Ohio. This is a company in dire need of a legal smackdown.