McDonald's has lost a significant legal battle in the European Union over the trademark rights to the name "Big Mac," following a ruling in favor of Irish fast food chain Supermac's. The decision by the EU General Court marks the end of a long-standing dispute between the two companies and potentially paves the way for Supermac's to expand across Europe.
The conflict began when Supermac's, based in Galway, Ireland, sought to register its name as a trademark in the EU as part of its expansion strategy. McDonald's opposed this move, arguing that consumers could confuse the Supermac's name with the Big Mac, a flagship McDonald's product. In response, Supermac's filed a request with the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in 2017 to revoke McDonald's Big Mac trademark, claiming the American company was not using the name for various products beyond the famous burger.
