Fast food giant McDonald's Internet Inc. lost a legal battle against an Irish chain on Wednesday after an EU court ruled You can't call your chicken burger a “Big Mac.”
This legal dispute began in 2017 when the Irish chain Supermac Tried to cancel McDonald's “Big Mac” trademark in the European Union.
the European Union Intellectual Property Office The European Union Intellectual Property Organization (EUIPO) initially allowed Supermac's application, but later reaffirmed, on appeal, trademark protection for McDonald's “Big Mac” burger.
Wednesday, General Court of the European Union (TGUE) amended the EUIPO decision and ruled accordingly McDonald's cannot claim Protection for the chicken version of its famous burger, although the original version – with beef – remains a registered trademark.
In a statement, TGUE noted that “McDonald's has not demonstrated that said trademark was the subject of effective use in connection with its 'chicken sandwiches' products, 'dishes based on poultry products products', and associated services.
For this reason, TGUE noted in its press release that “McDonald's is losing the EU trademark Big Mac To designate poultry products.
he Big Mac Chicken (Chicken Big Mac) does not appear on the chain's traditional menu in the European region.
In a statement, McDonald's acknowledged the ruling and stressed that it “does not affect our right to use the Big Mac trademark.”
In turn, Supermac's managing director, Pat McDonagh, noted that the TGUE ruling was “logical”.
“The original purpose of our request (…) was to highlight the abusive use of trademarks by this multinational company to stifle its competitors,” McDonagh said in a statement.
