Supermac’s clash with McDonald’s rumbles on

The David and Goliath brand war between Supermac’s and McDonald’s is set to rumble onto into next year.

This follows the European Commission granting fast food giant McDonald’s a further two months in which to respond to Supermac’s staunch defence of its brand and rejection of McDonald’s grounds of objection to the use of the Supermac’s brand in continental Europe and Australia.

Supermac’s boss Pat McDonagh personally delivered the firm’s rejection of McDonald’s grounds of objection last June at the EU Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market at Alicante in Spain.

McDonald’s had until Tuesday of this week to respond to the points made by Mr McDonagh in his response document.

However, after a request from McDonald’s, the European Commission granted the US firm until mid-November to lodge its rebuttal.

The two-month extension places Supermac’s plans to expand in Australia and continental Europe further on hold following the original objection lodged by McDonald’s in July last year.

Mr McDonagh has previously described McDonald’s objection as a delaying tactic in stopping the Irish firm’s expansion plans into Australia and Europe.

McDonald’s was given until last December to outline in detail the grounds of its objections and the fast food firm secured a two- month extension last December to outline its objection to February of this year.

The process was also delayed by Supermac’s which obtained a two-month extension of its own to rebut the points made by McDonald’s before Mr McDonagh lodged the firm’s voluminous documentation.

In its response document last June, Mr McDonagh put forward Supermac’s famous curry chips and snack box products as to why it should win its trademark battle with McDonald’s.

A 12-page submission points out that Supermac’s lead products snack box and curry chips “are themselves distinctive brand leaders” and not similar in content to any products offered by McDonald’s.

Mr McDonagh has previously accused McDonald’s of showing “disrespect” in its brand war with the Irish firm.

“This is one we have to win. We will fight this to the last. We can’t be curtailed in how we want to expand outside Ireland. What McDonald’s is doing in opposing our expansion is anti-competitive,” he said last June.