In Surprising Ruling, McDonald’s Loses BIG MAC Trademark Registration in the EU

To all EU trademark owners – difficulties exist in proving the use needed to protect EU registrations against third-party challenges. In a surprising decision, the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) ruled that McDonald’s failed to prove genuine use of BIG MAC as a mark on sandwiches, among other things. As a result, the EUIPO stripped the company of its BIG MAC registration on Jan. 11, 2019.