A Russian fast-food chain called Uncle Vanya wants to trademark a logo that resembles McDonald’s Golden Arches
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Russian fast-food chain Uncle Vanya has filed to trademark a logo that resembles McDonald’s iconic Golden Arches.
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The logo also uses a red and yellow color scheme that’s usually associated with the McDonald’s brand.
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The trademark filing was made three days after McDonald’s said it was closing all its outlets in Russia.
A Russian fast-food chain called Uncle Vanya has filed to trademark a logo that bears a strong resemblance to McDonald’s iconic Golden Arches.
On Saturday, Uncle Vanya made a trademark filing with the Russian government, which included a proposed logo — a stylized letter “B” with the words “Uncle Vanya” beneath it in Russian.
While the logo could be interpreted as the Cyrillic “Ve,” which matches the pronunciation of the “V” in “Vanya,” it also resembles McDonald’s Golden Arches — essentially a giant “M” — flipped on its side. The image submitted by Uncle Vanya also uses the red and yellow color scheme associated with the McDonald’s brand.
In the filing, Uncle Vanya was listed as having a Moscow business address, with the company saying it provided “snack bar” and “cooking and home delivery” services.
The filing was made three days after McDonald’s announced that it would be closing more than 800 of its restaurants in Russia indefinitely.
Following the announcement, Moscow residents were seen rushing to grab McDonald’s meals, with one superfan even chaining himself to an outlet to prevent it from closing. People have also tried to cash in on the closures, with McDonald’s menu items, cutlery, and sugar sachets being resold for astronomical prices on Avito, Russia’s version of Craigslist.
“McDonald’s announced that they are closing. Well, okay, close. Tomorrow there won’t be McDonald’s, but Uncle Vanya’s,” Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russian State Duma, said last week, per The Washington Post.
It is unclear how the Uncle Vanya moniker came about, although the business shares its name with a play by Russian playwright Anton Chekov.
Both Uncle Vanya’s IP lawyer, Alexander Leonov, and representatives for McDonald’s did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.
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