McOpoly

Just had a McDonald’s breakfast to go.  Not bad, not great.  Filled the gap.  But what really struck me is that on my take-away breakfast box it says ”BIG BREAKFAST^TM“.  Huh?  How do you trademark the term BIG BREAKFAST???  It’s breakfast, and it’s big (it’s not really that big anyway).  That is not an original idea in any way so how can a company lay sole claim to that description of their product?  Moreover, even if it was an original idea how can McDonald’s legitimately lay claim to ‘owning’ it?  Ideas are non-scarce.  Someone first thought of the term Salon, so does that mean every hair salon wanting to use salon in their name need to apply for permission?

IP has become the domain of the big and powerful corporations spending loads of money on lawyers to exploit an IP system run by stupid politicians.  It is protectionism and unfair monopoly.  It is unjust and uses state-run bureaucracy to exclude competition.

That excluding a competitor from calling their product BIG BREAKFAST is actually legally possible in some jurisdictions shows just how daft economic law has become and what a sorry state our political masters and the dope’s that vote them in have let the system degrade to.

Happy McSuffering under the unjust system of intellectual monopoly…

Check out this trademark McMadness

See the McDonald’s trademark list below.  It includes such beauties as Extra Value Meal, America’s Favorite Fries, World Famous Fries, Extra Value Meal, Good Time, Great Taste, Healthy Growing Up, Immunize for Healthy Lives, Made For You, Passport to Play, PlayPlace, RMHC, See What We’re Made Of, Triple Thick, twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepicklesoniononasesameseedbun (seriously that’s what’s on their website!!!), We Love To See You Smile, What’s On Your Plate, You Deserve a Break Today…

Ask McDonald’s for permission!

A victory for the McSmall guy