The Washington Post Speaks to Josh Gerben About New Russian Trademark Filings for McDonald’s

Just weeks after McDonald’s announced it would be selling its Russia-based restaurants to a local franchisee-owner, Russian state media reported that McDonald’s filed four new trademark filings associated with the new brand.

The Washington Post and Josh Gerben discuss the Russian trademark filings.

Several of the [trademark filings] seem to reference various unique aspects of how McDonald’s has functioned in Russia, but with a very Russian take on it, D.C.-based trademark attorney Josh Gerben said.

One trademarked phrase translates roughly to “free checkout,” a Russian saying that cashiers use to indicate they are ready to take a customer’s order, Gerben said Tuesday. Another translates roughly to “the same one.”

“It shows that the successor to McDonald’s in Russia is looking to have a clean start,” Gerben said. “It does not appear that they’re trying to use the McDonald’s brand going forward, but they might be doing something that has a nod to the past.”

Source: Gregg, Aaron, et al. https://www.washingtonpost.com. “Russia is building a ‘fun and tasty’ McDonald’s replacement.” 31 May 2022.