Intellectual Property Law

King5 reports that McDonalds is opposing a US application to register McSweet as a trade mark for pickled garnishes such as onions. The application is in the name of one Jim McCaslin, who bought the business from a man named Leo McIntyre. McCaslin has said that McDonalds has indicated that it will allow him to use the name, as long as he drops the trade mark registration.

The IPKat can see why McDonald's might want to stop people taking advantage of its brand, but he's not convinced that going after a man called Mac, who bought his business from a man called Mac is the way to go, particularly in the light of the burger chain's reputation for seeking to "monopolise" the Mac prefix.

World IP Day

It was World Intellectual Property Day over the weekend, but since it was on a Saturday, the IPKat missed it. The IPKat reckons that if the annual IP fest is to be taken seriously, there should be some way to move it to the working week if it falls at the weekend.

The IPKat (right) missed the party

Full post as published by IPKat on April 28, 2008 (boomark / email).