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| McCurry restaurant owner A.M.S.P. Suppiah and his wife. Photo: Mark Baker/AP |
The restaurant facing the suit operates under the name McCurry, short for "Malaysian Chicken Curry," and was the first Indian fast food restaurant to open in 1999 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- serving dishes such as chicken curry, fish head curry, naan and biryani.
McDonald's wanted sole rights to the use of the prefix "Mc" to protect its brand image but the Federal Court ruled Tuesday that the fast-food chain had no such exclusive rights.
"We feel great that this eight-year legal battle is finally over, and we can now go ahead with whatever we plan to do, such as opening new branches," McCurry owner A.M.S.P. Suppiah told Reuters.
McDonald's first sued McCurry in 2001. Five years later, a High Court ruled in favor of the corporation. McCurry responded by bringing the trademark suit to the Court of Appeal where in April the Malaysian restaurant won the case.
In a legal ping-pong match, McDonald's once again took the matter to Malaysia's highest court -- the Federal Court -- where the suit was settled once and for all in McCurry's favor.
McDonald's, which has 137 restaurants in Malaysia, was also ordered to pay legal costs for the eight-year suit.
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