Judge tells Mickey D's to McForget about it.

November 27, 2001 6:39 PM

Judge tells Mickey D's to McForget about it. Chinese guy in England has audacity to name his restaurant McChina's Wok Out. Mickey D's says we own the rights to everything that begins with a Mc. Don't you just love a story where McDonalds is told to go Mcfuck themselves?
posted by MAYORBOB (22 comments total)

Hrm...

Yuen said he adopted the Mc prefix to signify "son of" and felt the public would recognize this. Neuberger agreed.

I think that might be the key here, And why this was 'allowed' to happened in England, I don't know if it would fly here. I dobut many people know 'mc' == 'son of' (I mean, I didn't, and since I'm just so smart :P)

And I mean 30% of the populous did think that they would be related, And I don't know why you would want to associate yourself with McD's anyway...

(oh, it was Wok away, not Wok out)
posted by delmoi at 6:51 PM on November 27, 2001

Don't you just love a story where McDonalds is told to go Mcfuck themselves?

Well actually, I like McDonalds... but I still have to wonder why MAYORBOB is so hostile. Was it that narrow election loss to Mayor McCheese?
posted by spilon at 7:09 PM on November 27, 2001

First, MAYORBOB won that election to Mayor McCheese, but McCheese's own brother stole the election in cahoots with their dad's right-wing McSupreme McCourt lackeys.

Second: McWay to McGo, McNeuberger! If 30% thought McChina sounded like a McDonald's spin-off, that means that 70% did not, despite the fact that it's a pop-culture humor convention to "McDonalds-ify" something by adding the 'Mc' prefix (plenty of examples already present in this thread). Admittedly, McChina is an odd name, but this still doesn't grant McDonald's some stranglehold on this part of the English language.

Not to mention that this is certainly great news for the beleaguered McDowell's franchise out of Queens...
posted by hincandenza at 7:18 PM on November 27, 2001

Cheers to hincandenza. If we think of his comment as a tasty cake, then the oh-so-subtle "Coming to America" reference is icing most sublime.
posted by Optamystic at 7:25 PM on November 27, 2001

and your post explaining the obvious is...?
[ducking, grinning]
posted by quonsar at 7:28 PM on November 27, 2001

Just showing off that I caught it, basically.
posted by Optamystic at 7:32 PM on November 27, 2001

i wish i was the first to show off how cool i am by catching that reference... (as soon as i read hincandenza's comment, i was itching to respond.)... and now i'll imagine a General Tso wearing clown make-up and oversized red shoes.
posted by lotsofno at 7:37 PM on November 27, 2001

Don't you just love a story where McDonalds is told to go Mcfuck themselves?

Careful! I think they have tm'd McFuck and could come after you for unlawful and confusing use!
posted by holycola at 7:46 PM on November 27, 2001

The key here, rather than the "son of" McGuffin (heh) is that yer "ordinary person" (in the legal definition) wasn't likely to mistake "McChina's Wok Out" as an offshoot of the Big Evil Burger Monster. Even the judge (and English judges are famous for their inability to apprehend the minutiae of popular culture) thought so. We may engage in a small period of rejoicing.
posted by holgate at 8:36 PM on November 27, 2001

McDharma's also had this problem a few years back. The publicity was advertising that money can't buy. BTW, I think McDonald's is right to protect their copyright - to most folks (in the US, at least) Mc does not imply "son of". McDonald's is ubiquitous enough that people associate the prefix with fast food, and this is why both McDharma's and McChina selected it. To better describe their product, and attract customers who are looking for fast food. Presumably customers who would buy fast food elsewhere with the less explicit non-McName.
posted by swell at 8:56 PM on November 27, 2001

Who is this "MC Donald"? Does he have mad rhyme skillz?
posted by Optamystic at 9:05 PM on November 27, 2001

My last name's McLean...

So, does anyone remember the McLean Burger...Cool on the left, Hot on the right? Of course not. It was a Mc Failure

But I own the rights...I have a family tree to prove it...oh wait..As the article says, I'm Mc Screwed.
posted by Benway at 9:47 PM on November 27, 2001

If it was 'mac' rather than 'mc', then probably more people would associate it with 'son-of', and less with mcdonalds. (Naming conventions in various languages has a bit on 'son of'.)
posted by eoz at 9:56 PM on November 27, 2001

So, does anyone remember the McLean Burger...Cool on the left, Hot on the right?

Actually, that was the McDLT, about which David Letterman had the best line: "Now this new McDLT, what is that? Lettuce AND tomato ... on a HAMBURGER? I just don't think the American public is ready for that." Heh.
posted by diddlegnome at 1:29 AM on November 28, 2001

There's a McChina take away down my road. Wonder if it's the same one. Surely the prefix Mc belongs to the Scottish and their descendents?
posted by Summer at 3:15 AM on November 28, 2001

Uh-oh . . .
posted by mcwetboy at 3:46 AM on November 28, 2001

Yep. Give it back Wetboy.
posted by Summer at 3:57 AM on November 28, 2001

I'm still waiting to hear from the McAttorneys about my McLawsuit typeface, based on the ubiquitous Golden Arches logo.

Bring it ON, clown!
posted by Down10 at 8:49 AM on November 28, 2001

There appear to be actual Mickey D's Restaurants in Minneapolis and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. They'd better get McLawyers!
posted by Carol Anne at 9:56 AM on November 28, 2001

I wish matt would open up new users sos I could register 'mcsamiam'
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:17 AM on November 28, 2001

Um, delmoi, 30% of an unspecified group of people in a survey commissioned by McDonalds does not equate to 30% of the populous.

If it's anything like the 'chinese' food I had in Britain, they should have called it Fitz instead.
posted by Catch at 11:29 AM on November 28, 2001

McFuck? Son of Fuck? MacAbitch? Son of a bitch? How does this work? Do I need to be drunk to understand all of this?
posted by hellinskira at 12:15 PM on November 28, 2001