McDonald’s Loses ‘Big Mac’ Name Rights for Chicken Sandwich in Shocking Development

“What’s in a name?” Juliet Capulet said in Shakespeare’s famous play about a pair of star-crossed lovers. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

One wonders whether she’d feel the same way about a McDonald’s chicken sandwich.

McDonald’s had been marketing chicken sandwiches in Europe under the “Big Mac” brand, which the BBC said had been popularized “for large burger sandwiches,” but that could change now that the company has lost its trademark on the name, at least with regard to white meat.

“McDonald’s loses the EU trade mark ‘Big Mac’ in respect of poultry products,” the E.U.’s European Court of Justice ruled, saying that the company hadn’t proved that ” had made genuine use of the trademark for a continuous period of five years,” according to the BBC.

The ruling means that McDonald’s can keep calling their chicken Big Macs by that name if the company wishes — but other companies can do so as well.

Trending:

Travis Kelce Says Secret Service Threatened to Tase Him During White House Visit: ‘They Weren’t Too Happy with Me’

McDonald’s still owns the term when it comes to what Americans typically think of as a Big Mac — a beef hamburger.

The company did not tell the BBC whether it plans to appeal the decision, or if it plans to rename its chicken sandwiches in Europe.

The court’s finding was the result of a dispute that began in 2017 between McDonald’s and Supermac, an Irish fast-food chain that also sells “beef and chicken burgers and chicken nuggets at 120 red and white branded outlets,” the outlet reported.

Supermac had attempted to register its company name as a trademark preparatory to possible international expansion, according to the BBC, and McDonald’s “blocked” the move.

Do you like McDonald’s?

Supermac managing director Pat McDonagh “countered that McDonald’s was not using its trademark for restaurants, so other firms should not be blocked from using the term ‘Mac’ in their names,” the BBC said.

“We knew when we took on this battle that it was a David versus Goliath scenario,” McDonagh told the BBC.

“We wholeheartedly welcome this judgement as a vindication of small businesses everywhere that stand up to powerful global entities,” he added.

Over the past 70 years, McDonald’s has grown from one California restaurant to more than 36,000 in over 100 countries, according to the company’s website.

The company has recently been the target of numerous social media posts that have claimed it has raised prices by more than the inflation rate.

Related:

‘Super Size Me’ Director Dead at 53 After Severe Health Complications

Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA, refuted those claims in an “open letter” to McDonald’s customers dated May 29.

“I can tell you that it frustrates and worries me, and many of our franchisees, when I hear about an $18 Big Mac meal being sold – even if it was at one location in the U.S. out of more than 13,700,” he wrote in the letter, which was posted to the company website. “More worrying, though, is when people believe that this is the rule and not the exception, or when folks start to suggest that the prices of a Big Mac have risen 100% since 2019.

“The average price of a Big Mac in the U.S. was $4.39 in 2019,” Erlinger added. “Despite a global pandemic and historic rises in supply chain costs, wages and other inflationary pressures in the years that followed, the average cost is now $5.29. That’s an increase of 21% (not 100%).”


An Important Message from Our Staff:

 

We who work here at The Western Journal have fought for years against Big Tech and the elites who want to shut us down and then shut America down. 

 

Make no mistake — nothing will be the same after November 2024. Will you help us fight? Will you help us expose the America-hating elites who will do everything they can to steal this election? 

 

We’re a small group of people fighting to save the country for our readers and for our own family and friends. Can we count on your help?

 

At this point, Big Tech has cut off our access to 90% of advertisers. Imagine if someone took 90% of your paycheck and there was nothing you could do. They’re trying to starve us out.

 

Donations from readers like you have literally helped keep our lights on, and we need you now more than ever. 

 

We operate on a shoestring budget, but with that budget, we terrify the globalists. Please help us continue the fight. Stand with us, and we will never surrender.

 

Thank you for reading The Western Journal and for believing in America. 

 

It is a pleasure to serve you.

P.S. Please don’t let the America-hating left win. Stand with us today!

George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of “WJ Live,” powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.

George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English as well as a Master’s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.

Birthplace

Foxborough, Massachusetts

Nationality

American

Honors/Awards

Beta Gamma Sigma

Education

B.A., English, UNCG; M.A., English, UNCG; MBA, UNCG

Location

North Carolina

Languages Spoken

English

Topics of Expertise

Faith, Business, Leadership and Management, Military, Politics

Source link