Malaysian court rules McDonald's does not own the prefix 'Mc'

Score one for the scrappy little up-start in the battle against the big, bad corporate behemoth.

Eight years ago, McDonalds sued McCurry, a Malaysian eatery, accusing the company of trademark infringement for using the prefix "Mc" in its name. Owner A.M.S.P Suppiah said the name stood for Malaysian Chicken Curry.

Rounds of appeals turned up no evidence that McCurry was passing itself off as McDonald's which, of course, it wasn't because McDonald's is not a curry place. The case has finally come to a conclusion and McCurry will keep its name and McDonald's will pay a couple thousand bucks in costs.

Why McDonald's would get involved in something so stupid is completely beyond me. Did it honestly think that McCurry posed anything resembling a threat to consumer confusion? And even if it did, was a one location eatery substantial enough to merit eight years of legal costs?

And that's to say nothing of the ill will generated by suing a mom and pop curry restaurant which a lot of people, myself included, probably find immoral and distasteful.

Zac McBissonnette is a writer with McWalletPop.com.