cultural commons

The May 2010 issue of Cornell Law Review is a treasure trove of essays about the cultural commons. Rarely has the subject received such focused and sustained academic exploration in a major law journal.

In a rare setback for McDonald’s, a court has ruled that the fast-food chain does NOT have a trademark monopoly on the prefix "Mc." Congratulations are in order for McCurry Restaurant of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ("Home Food, Away From Home, Tasty and So Goood!") The eatery spent eight years trying to establish that the San Diego-based purveyor of fast food, with over 30,000 outlets in 100 countries, does not legally own the Irish prefix "Mc."