Pat McDonagh is the managing director of Supermac’s, an Irish fast food chain.
He was given the nickname “Supermac” for his splendid performance as a football player in the late 1960s.
In 1996, fast food giant McDonald’s registered “Big Mac” with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) as a trademark for burgers.
McDonald’s “Big Mac” trademark registration has prevented Supermac’s from expanding outside Ireland and into continental Europe.
On Jan. 15, the EUIPO ruled that McDonald’s had not proven “genuine use” of “Big Mac” and cancelled the same.
Supermac’s hailed the ruling as a David vs. Goliath victory, as it maintained that Supermac and Big Mac are different, and cannot be confused as emanating from the same source.
The ruling may still be appealed. (www.theguardian.com)