“Yellowstone” actor Cole Hauser (right) and show creator Taylor Sheridan sign autographs for fans at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo on Friday, February 3, 2023.
amccoy@star-telegram.com
Fort Worth
Trouble is brewing at the ranch between two “Yellowstone” collaborators.
Show creator Taylor Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against actor Cole Hauser’s Free Rein Coffee Company. Hauser has appeared as Rip Wheeler on “Yellowstone” since its launch in 2018.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the Northern District of Texas court on Nov. 21, accuses Free Rein of “trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising” in relation to both companies use of branding marks with overlapping letters, according to People.
“Neither Hauser nor the Defendants asked or received permission or authorization of Sheridan or Bosque Ranch to use a mark confusingly similar to the BR Brand for virtually identical goods,” the lawsuit alleges.
Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch partnered with Community Coffee on a specialty craft brand in June. While Hauser launched Free Rein in October.
WFAA-TV reports that the lawsuit alleges that Free Rein’s logo is “like the ubiquitous Bosque Ranch trademark” in that it features two overlapping letters. Bosque Ranch’s logo features an overlapping “B” and “R”.
The lawsuit is asking for a permanent injunction against Free Rein for using the alleged similar logo to Bosque Ranch, according to WFAA-TV. The lawsuit is also seeking compensatory damages, including any profits made by Free Rein since launch.
When Hauser launched Free Rein in October, he said the coffee brand pays tribute to hard-working cowboys everywhere.
“As a nation built on dreams and aspirations, we want to inspire the go-getters, the dreamers, and the believers to fuel their pursuits,” Hauser added.
Sheridan’s Bosque Ranch craft brand is named after his Weatherford-based equine facility, where coffee is essential to cowboy life.
“Meals will be missed, and supper worked right through. But the one thing as essential to the cowboy as his boots and saddle is coffee,” Sheridan said at the announcement.
Sheridan and Hauser are Cowtown regulars, having visited the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in previous years to sign autographs and meet fans.
As for “Yellowstone,” fans will have to wait until next year to see how the fifth and final season wraps up. The Paramount Network show is eyeing a November 2024 release date to send off the Dutton family.
Brayden Garcia is a service journalism reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2020, where he worked at the student newspaper, The Shorthorn. He previously covered education at The Dallas Morning News.
source: star-telegram
