If you thought that the Kevin Costner Yellowstone drama — and his suggestion that he’d sue producers — might make the final episodes uncomfortable to shoot, oh boy. Ditto for the awkwardness of the production disappointing Paleyfest attendees possibly being eclipsed by a new development involving the cowboy soap opera.
One of Mr. Taylor Sheridan’s ranches (not the Four Sixes) has filed a lawsuit against Cole Hauser, who portrays Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network juggernaut series. The New York Post relays how Bosque Ranch has alleged damages for trademark infringement (and false advertising) against Hauser’s Free Rein Coffee Company brand. Here’s the lowdown:
The suit claimed that Free Rein uses “a brand mark strikingly similar to Bosque Ranch’s registered trademark, potentially misleading consumers,” according to San Angelo Live.
Both the caffeine company and the ranch use a similar logo, with the letters B and R intertwining … The brand embodies “the spirit of the West … the dreamer’s mindset and callused hands of those cowboys [Hauser] admired,” according to Free Rein’s website.
You can see the Free Rein logo here. It must be noted that there’s actually an F and R in the logo, but there does appear to be a resemblance to the Bosque Ranch logo. And since Yellowstone largely films at Bosque Ranch, again, this could make the final round of Yellowstone filming (which begins in Fall 2024) very unpleasant, no matter how the lawsuit turns out.
(Via NY Post)