MCDONALD'S CORPORATION v B. AWTAR SINGH A/L BALWANT SINGH TRADING AS MC SPICY CURRY HOUSE

wa-24ip-19-05-2025 High Court (Mahkamah Tinggi) 6 October 2025 • WA-24IP-19-05/2025 • 43 min read

11 cases cited (1 SG, 10 foreign)

Catchwords

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW — Trademark Opposition and Registration — Evaluation of the likelihood of confusion between trademarks — Plaintiff has cultivated a distinctive “Mc/Mac” family of marks — Defendant applied to register trademark of the mark “MC CURRY” in Class 29 — Plaintiff's opposition to the registration was dismissed by the Registrar — Determination of whether marks are confusingly similar — whether the goods are of such a nature that the public could reasonably believe they originate from the same source — Applicability of the "Family of Marks" Doctrine — Court allowed the originating summons and set aside the Registrar's decision — sections 14(1)(a), 14(1)(d), 19(1)(b), and 25(1) of the Trademarks Act 1976

Judges (1)

Edwin Paramjothy a/l Michael Muniandy Delivered

Counsel (5)

SS Thind Firm Shearn Delamore & Co. Firm Indran Shanmuganathan Counsel Plaintiff Shamsher Singh Thind Counsel Defendant Sim Sook Eng Counsel Plaintiff

Parties (2)

MCDONALD'S CORPORATION Applicant B. Awtar Singh a/l Balwant Singh Trading As Mc Spicy Curry House Respondent

Cases Cited (11)

SG (1)

[2018] SGHC 238

MY (10)

[1998] 4 MLJ 105 [2008] 3 MLJ 574 [2008] 8 CLJ 44 [2009] 3 MLJ 774 [2010] 1 MLJ 242 [2010] 2 AMR 1 [2016] 5 MLJ 768 [2019] MLJU 422 [2019] MLJU 552 [2022] MLJU 1788

Judgment

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Read on eJudgment

Source: eJudgment (wa-24ip-19-05-2025)