McDonald's loses 'Big Mac' trademark in EU after Supermac's dispute

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that McDonald's has lost the right to the EU trademark for Big Mac. This includes food made from poultry meat. The decision resulted from the dispute between the American giant and the Irish chain Supermac's.

This case pertains to using the mark about chicken sandwiches or food prepared from poultry, such as nuggets. It also involves related services, including delivering and selling these items in McDonald's restaurants and drive-thru locations.

On Wednesday, June 5, at 9:00 AM ET, the Court of Justice of the EU ruled that the American chain had not demonstrated genuine use of the mentioned trademark within the territory of the Union for an uninterrupted period of five years concerning the mentioned goods. Therefore, the CJEU declared the trademark invalid.

The case began seven years ago when the Irish chain Supermac's filed a request demanding that McDonald's be stripped of the Big Mac trademark for certain goods and services, which they argued the American giant had not used continuously for five years. The CJEU agreed.

It should be noted that McDonald's can appeal this decision. The Big Mac trademark was registered on behalf of the American chain by the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 1996.