Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

10-2005

Abstract

In a unanimous decision delivered in September 2004, the Court of Appeal of Singapore has ruled against McDonald's Corporation in its attempts to stop a small Singapore company, Future Enterprises Pty Ltd, from registering its marks "MacNoodles", "MacTea" and "MacChocolate". This case has international significance as the Singapore court ruled, confirming the position taken by courts in a number of other jurisdictions, that McDonald's did not have an exclusive right over the prefix "Mc" in relation to food and beverages in the absence of deception or confusion. However, Singapore's trade mark laws have since undergone a major revamp. Under the new laws, greater protection is accorded to well known marks. This paper studies the Singapore Court of Appeal's decision in the McDonald's case and comment on whether its result would have been different under the new laws.

Discipline

Asian Studies | Intellectual Property Law

Publication

Australian Intellectual Property Journal

Volume

16

Issue

3

First Page

138

Last Page

151

ISSN

1038-1635

Publisher

Thomson Reuters

Embargo Period

11-29-2017

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