Supermac’s eyes UK following McDonald’s trademark ruling

Irish fast food chain is looking to set up shop in London within the next year, following the end of a branding dispute with McDonald’s, reports MCA’s sister title BigHospitality.

The two brands have been locked in a long-running legal battle over trademarks for years, which had previously halted Supermac’s attempts to expand into the UK and Europe.

Having previously lost a battle over the similarity between its name and the Big Mac, Supermac’s asked the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to rule on the issue.

The Irish chain won a partial victory in January this year, and last week McDonald’s lost its exclusive claim to the ‘Mc’ trademark on some of its food products within the EU following another ruling by the EUIPO. Meaning it only has the trademark rights for the use of Mc on chicken nuggets and sandwiches.

Supermac’s manging director Pat McDonagh said the latest ruling was a “victory for small businesses”.

Speaking to the Irish Independent he said: “This latest decision by the EUIPO shows that just because McDonald’s has deep pockets and we are relatively small, it doesn’t mean we were going to fight our corner.”

McDonagh said Supermac’s was targeting the UK first in terms of expansion across Europe, “especially London and the greater London area, as there is a huge Irish market over there”.