Mac and Mc belong to McDonald’s in EU

McDonald's is the master of Mac and Mc suffixes: the decision that will surely set a precedent in the world of commerce, came after a legal battle waged by the American giant of fast-food.

The EU Court ruled that "the reputation of McDonald's brand is used to prevent the registration, for food or drinks, the brands that combine the prefix 'Mac' or 'Mc' with the name of a product food or a drink ".

The story began in 2008 when the Future Enterprises of Singapore, said the registration of MACCOFFEE Union label for food and drink, which was accepted in 2010 by the EU for Intellectual Property (Euipo).
The American company hamburgers asked, however, to cancel that mark, by opposing his former McDonald's, flanked by 12 other acronyms that the giant had recorded for fast food services "and containing the word elements 'Mc' or 'Mac' as prefix".

Three years later, in 2013, the Office ruled in favor of the US giant, considering the recording made by Future Enterprises as an attempt to exploit the towing of McDonald's fame to make illegal advertising to its own product. Yesterday, the Court dismissed the action that the company in Singapore has tried to oppose the decision of the Office, confirming that judgment.

The judgment is motivated by the phonetic and conceptual similarity, which could be confusing customers at the time of purchase. For the Singapore company, last chance remains the appeal within two months, in Court.