McDonald's "Chicken Bacon" Trademark Rejected in Russia

The Russian Patent Disputes Chamber has recently upheld Russian PTO’s decision rejecting McDonald’s application to register the “Chicken Bacon” trademark in Russia.

The fast food giant has been selling the “Chicken Bacon” sandwich in Russia since 2011, the same year the PTO first refused the registration arguing that “chicken” and “bacon” are ordinary words that describe the sandwich ingredients, thus ineligible for trademark protection.

McDonald’s appealed claiming that the proposed trademark is distinctive, as it is clearly associated with the producer and the products, and also original and creative because the English word “chicken” has no meaning in Russian, while the word “bacon” actually means a salted meat product (Russian: бекон).

It is expected that McDonald’s will file an appeal with Russiaís Supreme Arbitration Court.

In 2004, McDonaldís application for “McCafe” trademark in Russia was initially rejected but the fast food chain eventually succeeded in obtaining the registration.

Prepared by: Jelena Jankovic

For more information, please contact mail@petosevic.com.

Source: Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI); Russia Beyond the Headlines news portal