Taylor Sheridan’s Ranch is suing Cole Hauser’s coffee brand

Behind the scenes things get even more complicated Yellowstone now that creator Taylor Sheridan ranch sues Cole Hauser coffee brand.

According to documents obtained by We weeklySheridan’s Bosque Ranch filed a lawsuit against Hauser’s coffee company Free Rein on Nov. 21, alleging trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising.

The lawsuit alleges that Bosque Ranch — which was founded nearly two decades ago by Sheridan, 53, to describe his various “business and personal endeavors” — has a unique “B and R” logo, similar to Hauser’s coffee brand. Sheridan’s branding has even appeared Yellowstonein which Hauser, 48, stars as Rip Wheeler.

Sheridan claims in its filing that Free Rein is “confusingly similar” to its brand and constitutes “false and misleading statements of fact likely to cause confusion or mistake” about which goods are associated with Bosque Ranch.

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The documents also claim that Bosque Ranch publicly announced a new craft coffee in June that reflects the “cowboy way of life.” Sheridan claims the rollout is apparently similar to Hauser’s brand, which launched “just over three months” later. The filing alleges that Hauser received “no consent or authorization” from Sheridan.

Consequently, Bosque Ranch said Free Rein’s similarity is “irreparably damaging” to their brand and “if left unenforced, Bosque Ranch will continue to suffer irreparable harm.”

The lawsuit goes on to ask Hauser’s company to stop using the Free Rein brand and “destroy all products, marketing and promotional materials” related to their brand. Bosque Ranch also expects Free Rein to pay all “compensatory damages.”

This is not the first time that the Yellowstone crew has been involved in off-screen drama. In February, Deadline reported that the Paramount series was expected to end in its fifth season due to “disagreements over shooting schedules” with the lead actor Kevin Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton. Costner, 68, reportedly wants to “just shoot for a week” in the second half of season 5, which doesn’t air until November 2024.

Costner’s lawyer Marty Singerlater denounced the accusations and told Deadline“The idea that Kevin only wanted to work for one week on the second half of season 5 of Yellowstone is an absolute lie. It’s ridiculous – and anyone who suggests this should not be believed for a second. As anyone who knows anything about Kevin knows very well, he is incredibly passionate about the show and has always gone above and beyond to ensure its success.

More drama ensued in April when Costner and Sheridan abruptly canceled their appearances at PaleyFest in Los Angeles, which was planned to honor Yellowstone.

“Ongoing issues between Kevin, an executive producer, and Taylor led to the last-minute cancellation,” a source exclusively shared Us at the time. “Kevin didn’t want to come off as inauthentic, and he would have if he had to dodge awkward questions about their working relationship. It seemed like a lose-lose situation to him. It just wasn’t worth it for Kevin. It’s safe to say the drama behind the scenes is far from over.”

In May, The Hollywood Reporter shared that Geelstone was set to end in season 5 and there was “no insight into Costner’s level of participation” in filming the remainder of the season.

A month later, Sheridan broke his silence on his rumored feud with Costner.

“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had a passion project he wanted to direct,” he explained The Hollywood Reporter in June. “He and the network had an argument about when he would be ready Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can definitely work out a schedule [his preferred exit date]’, which we did. My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t changed. I’ve never had a problem with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work it out on the phone.”

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Sheridan also noted that rumors that the couple had a falling out over scheduling issues were exaggerated.

“Once lawyers get involved, people can stop talking to each other and saying things that aren’t true and trying to shift blame based on how the press or public seems to react,” he explained. “[Kevin] I’ve taken a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know if anyone deserves it. His movie [Horizon] seems to be a big priority for him and he wants to shift the focus. I certainly hope so [the movie is] it’s worth it – and that it’s a good one.”