On January 11, 2019, the Cancellation Division of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (“EUIPO”) rendered a surprising decision that revoked in its entirety the McDonald’s Company’s BIG MAC trademark registration, which had been registered in the EU since December 1998.
This is the latest chapter in a fight between McDonald’s and Supermac’s, a competing chain that operates fast-food restaurants in both parts of Ireland.… More
On July 5, 2016, the European General Court rendered an interesting decision illustrating the broad protection enjoyed by those trademarks with “a reputation in the EU.” The full text of the decision is available in English here and in French here.
The case involved a Singapore company called Future Enterprises, which filed an EU trademark for MACCOFFEE on October 13, 2008 for a wide variety of food products and beverages in classes 29,… More
Last week, Taco Bell released a TV commercial featuring real men named Ronald McDonald enjoying Taco Bell’s new breakfast items. This is very creative advertising, but is not for the faint of heart. Using a competitor’s trademarks is always a risky business. Do not try this at home. At least not without calling your trademark lawyer first.
As we have reported previously on this blog,… More