Main points
- McDonald's has registered 14 new trademarks in Russia, including McCafe and Ronald McDonald House.
- It became known whether the registration of brands indicates the return of McDonald's to the Russian market.
McDonald's has registered 14 more brands in Russia / Collage by Channel 24, photo Shutterstock
The American corporation McDonald's continues to register its trademarks in Russia, despite its official exit from the aggressor country's market in 2022. Now the company has registered 14 brands at once, which has sparked a new wave of discussions about the chain's possible return.
What trademarks does McDonald's register in Russia?
Information about new registrations appeared in the databases of the Russian Rospatent on May 13, writes the Russian media outlet “REN.TV”.
Among the new trademarks registered by the company:
- McCafe and the Russian version of “McCafe”
- Ronald McDonald House (“Ronald McDonald House”)
- McCrispy and “McCrispy”
- Happy Meal
- “Big Breakfast Roll”
- “McFresh”
- “McChicken”
- “Mr. McCheese”
- “University of Hamburgerology”
The company also registered two visual trademarks: the Grimace character and a duck in an apron with the corporate letter “M”.
Does this mean McDonald's is returning to Russia?
Despite speculation, the new brand registrations do not indicate the company's intentions to return to the Russian market. Several years ago, McDonald's filed a series of applications to register its trademarks in Russia.
It was not only about the restaurant business, but also about:
- products
- software
- clothing
- restaurant services
- logos and symbols
In November last year, some of the applications were already officially registered for a period of 10 years. The company itself explained this by procedural issues and intellectual property protection.
The purpose of this step is to prevent third-party companies or individuals from using the McDonald's brand for their own interests.
In this way, the company is trying to protect its symbols, product names, and recognizable brand elements from possible illegal use in Russia.
What is the forecast? There are currently no signs of McDonald's resuming operations in Russia. The company has not officially announced plans to return and continues to publicly state its exit from the market. However, large international corporations will continue to maintain legal control over their brands in Russia to prevent them from being used without permission.
Note: In such cases, it is more about legal protection of the brand, rather than restoring the network in the aggressor country. For global companies, intellectual property remains one of the key assets, even in markets where business is officially suspended.
By the way, McDonald's was one of the first international businesses to condemn Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and leave the Russian market in 2022.
After that, the chain's restaurants were renamed in Russia to “Vkusno i Tochka” with a slight change in the menu. They continued to operate in the same premises in which they had been operating.
What does the owner of “Vkusno i dotcha” think about the possibility of McDonald's returning to Russia?
The owner of the Vkusno i Tochka chain, Alexander Govor, said that the American corporation McDonald's is unlikely to exercise its right to buy back its Russian business. He said this in an interview, Russian media outlet RBC reports.
According to the businessman, there are currently no signals about the possible return of the American network.
To date, we see no “intentions” in terms of returning. No matter how much we tried to contact them, we wanted to talk – we worked together, but they are forbidden to talk to us. There is no contact at all,
– said Alexander Govor.
Govor believes that exercising the option to buy out the business may be economically unprofitable for the American side. According to him, after purchasing the assets, he fulfilled all the agreements stipulated in the agreement, even ahead of schedule.
We have certain agreements with them, they are signed. The obligations that I took on, I was supposed to fulfill in two years. I fulfilled them in a year and a half – six months early,
– the businessman added.
According to Govor, even if McDonald's ever decides to return to the Russian market, the company will no longer be able to operate as before. The businessman is convinced that consumers have adapted to the new brand, and the American chain will no longer receive the same flow of customers as before.
Interesting! Alexander Govor previously developed the chain's restaurants under a franchise in Siberia. Already on June 12, 2022, on the site of the first McDonald's restaurant in the USSR on Pushkinskaya Square, he opened an establishment under a new name – “Vkusno i dochka”.
Can foreign brands return to Russia?
Last year, Russia loudly announced the alleged return of over 350 Western brands that had left the market after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service writes.
By the end of the year, the reality turned out to be completely different: only about two dozen companies returned, mostly from the lower price segment and mostly from Asia, but by no means Western brands. Russian media reported, in particular, the following:
- McDonald's has registered seven trademarks for its dishes and services in Russian and English. Namely, for “Big Tasty”, “Quarter Pounder”, “Royal Cheeseburger”, McFresh, McFlurry, Big Mac and “MakDostavka”.
- Starbucks has registered a trademark in Russia until 2034.
- The American company Coca-Cola has registered the trademarks “Coca-Cola” and “Sprite” in Russia.
- Chanel has filed an application with Rospatent to register the trademark “Chanel Comete” in Russia.
- Mercedes-Benz has filed an application with Rospatent for trademark registration.
- Spanish company Inditex has filed an application to register the trademark Zara .
- The Louis Vuitton brand has registered a trademark in Russia.
Thus, Russian media produced headlines about the return of major brands, citing anonymous sources and trademark registrations with Rospatent. Such reports are speculations designed to create the illusion of economic stability.
In reality, registering or renewing a trademark is just a legal tool to protect intellectual property. Companies seek to preserve their rights to prevent third parties from using their brand and to block attempts to register similar names or logos.
By the way, at the same time, 56% of Russian citizens would like foreign companies to return to the Russian market . Russians miss car brands, software, the film industry, and everyday goods the most.
The hardest hit sectors were the technology and manufacturing sectors. After the exit of giants such as Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Autodesk and others, the Russian software market found itself in a state of artificial isolation. This led to higher prices and lower competition, as well as a situation where businesses were forced to either adapt to limited choices or seek complex workarounds. As a result, import substitution became a forced replacement without alternatives at the level of global products,
– they write in the intelligence.
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McDonald's News in Ukraine
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This year, a new McDonald's will open in Bukovel, the construction of which began on November 20. The project is being implemented by Bukovel LLC, which manages the construction and controls the process from brand creation to infrastructure solutions, with the aim of attracting tourists to the resort.
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McDonald's in Ukraine has launched a “world menu” of 13 dishes from 8 countries, which will be available until June 24 this year. The menu includes a variety of dishes such as burgers, rolls, snacks, sauces, desserts and drinks from Canada, Cyprus, Japan, Singapore, Croatia, China, Indonesia and Mauritius with prices ranging from 20 to 297 hryvnias.