EU trademarks case
In 2017, McDonald's objected to Supermac's registering its name and certain of its product names as trademarks throughout the European Union for the purpose of expanding outside of Ireland.[37] McDonald's argued that the Supermac's name is visually similar to McDonald's, while Supermac's argued that it has traded alongside McDonald's in Ireland since 1978 without confusion.[38] McDonald's won a partial victory, with the EU's Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) ruling that Supermac's could trade under its own name in the EU, but it rejected Supermac's trademark applications for several items, including menu items. It said that consumers could "be confused as to whether Supermac's is a new version of McDonald's", given the almost identical products sold by both chains.[39]
Supermac's, in turn, challenged McDonald's right to hold certain trademarks registered by it in the EU. In January 2019, the EUIPO ruled that certain trademarks owned by McDonald's, including Big Mac, were to be revoked.[40][41][42] In 2023, the EUIPO Board of Appeals partially reversed the decision revoking McDonald's trademarks, permitting McDonald's to continue to use the trademark for poultry products and restaurants, but also permitting Supermac's to use the Big Mac name on its own food products.[43][44]
Supermac's appealed the EUIPO's decision to the European Court of Justice. On 5 June 2024, the court held that McDonald's had failed to prove use of the Big Mac trademark in relation to chicken products or in relation to services associated with operating restaurants, meaning Supermac's and other businesses are now free to use the "Mac" in their business names and in names for poultry products in Europe. McDonald's retains the Big Mac trademark for its beef burgers only.[45][44][46]
In June 2025, it was reported that McDonald's was attempting to block the expansion of Supermac's into the UK market and intended to proceed with IPO trademark court proceedings in the UK, despite having been unsuccessful in the EU proceedings in 2024.[47]
