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11 months ago
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While fans wait for the second half of Yellowstone's final season to debut next year, some legal drama has started between the show's creator and one of his stars.
Bosque Ranch, a wide-ranging business empire founded by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, has filed a lawsuit against Free Rein, Yellowstone star Cole Hauser's coffee company.
The trademark infringement lawsuit filed on November 21 in the Northern District of Texas alleges Free Rein of 'unfair competition and false advertising', according to San Angelo Live.
Bosque Ranch, which also has a coffee range, claims that Free Rein uses 'a brand mark strikingly similar to Bosque Ranch's registered trademark, potentially misleading consumers.'
Bosque Ranch's brand mark infuses the letters B and R like a cattle brand, while Free Rein also infuses the letters F and R.
This latest drama between Yellowstone mastermind and one of his stars comes after Sheridan's much-publicized feud with Kevin Costner, who plays Dutton family patriarch John Dutton.
The nub of their dispute was reported to be Costner's desire to cut down his workload for the fifth - and final - season. Sheridan, for his part, said he was disappointed by Costner's decision to cut back his work on the show but insisted the pair were on good terms but insiders also pointed to Sheridan's huge ego after his major film and TV successes.
Yellowstone star Cole Hauser's Free Rein coffee brand merges the letters F and R like a cattle brand (seen above on Hauser). His Yellowstone creator, showrunner and co-star Taylor Sheridan's Bosque Ranch's brand mark infuses the letters B and R
Sheridan's wide-ranging business empire Bosque Ranch also has a range of coffee (packaging seen above). The company claims that Free Rein uses, 'a brand mark strikingly similar to Bosque Ranch's registered trademark, potentially misleading consumers'
Creator: While fans wait for the second half of Yellowstone's final season to debut next year, some legal drama has started between the show's creator Taylor Sheridan (left) and one of his stars, Cole Hauser (right)
The lawsuit alleges that Bosque Ranch has been using the intertwined B/R brand mark since 2004, and secured federal registrations in 2020.
Bosque Ranch launched its Craft Coffee brand in June. Hauser turned the brand Longhorn Coffee, based in San Angelo, Texas into Free Rein in August.
The company launched its first coffee brands with the F/R logo in October. Bosque claims Free Rein did so without their authorization.
The lawsuit alleges the two similar brand marks will cause 'consumer confusion' since both Sheridan and Hauser are connected to Yellowstone and both actively promote their brands.
Bosque Ranch is seeking 'permanent injunctive relief, damages, and profits from the defendants under both the Lanham Act and Texas law for the alleged infringement.'
Bosque Ranch launched its Craft Coffee brand in June. Hauser turned the brand Longhorn Coffee, based in San Angelo, Texas into Free Rein in August. The company launched its first coffee brands with the F/R logo in October. Bosque claims Free Rein did so without their authorization
Hauser plays Rip Wheeler on Paramount Network's Yellowstone, who has been a fixture on the show since it debuted in 2018.
Rip Wheeler is a ranch hand on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, run by Kevin Costner's character John Dutton.
He's also married to Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly), John and the late Evelyn Dutton's (Gretchen Mol) only daughter on the show.
The lawsuit news comes just over a month after Paramount confirmed the show's final episodes will debut in November 2024.
This comes just months after it was reported that the 68-year-old leading man would be exiting the series in the first half of season 5.
The studio did also soften the blow to fans of Yellowstone, which has seen its popularity soar after episodes started airing on CBS. The network announced two spin-off series, one entitled 1944 and the other is a contemporary series, which is currently titled 2024.
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