McDonald’s loses the right to the name “Big Mac” for its chicken burgers in the EU

The fast food giant McDonald’s lost a legal battle against an Irish chain on Wednesday after an EU court ruled that it cannot call its chicken burgers “Big Mac.”

This legal dispute began in 2017, when the Irish chain Supermac tried to have McDonald’s “Big Mac” trademark revoked in the EU.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) initially allowed Supermac’s application, but later, on appeal, reaffirmed trademark protection for McDonald’s “Big Mac” burgers.

On Wednesday, the General Court of the EU (TGEU) modified the EUIPO decision and ruled that McDonald’s could not claim protection for the chicken version of its iconic burger, although the original version – with beef – remains a registered trademark. .

In a statement, the TGUE indicated that “McDonald’s has not demonstrated that said trademark has been the subject of effective use with regard to the ‘chicken sandwiches’ products, the ‘dishes based on poultry products’ products” and associated services.

For this reason, the TGUE noted in its press release that “McDonald’s loses the European Union Big Mac trademark to designate poultry products.” The Chicken Big Mac does not appear on the chain’s traditional menu in the European area.

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, the general director of Supermac, Pat McDonagh, pointed out that the TGUE ruling was “common sense.”

“The original objective of our request (…) was to shed light on the abusive use of trademarks by this multinational to stifle its competitors,” McDonagh said in a statement.