The company’s renewal of its own patents does not mean that the chain will return to Russia. This is standard practice for many Western companies that have left Russia to protect their trademarks from being used by third parties.
McDonald’s is going to return to Russia — such sensational headlines appeared on Russian resources. They drew this conclusion from the fact that the company has filed more than 50 applications for trademark registration with the Russian patent office. These are the names of drinks and dishes, as well as the company’s slogans.
However, such conclusions are premature. The company’s renewal of its own patents does not mean that the chain will return to Russia. McDonald’s is renewing its trademarks and patents in Russia to protect its intellectual property and prevent third-party companies from using the brand or technologies without permission. This avoids unfair competition, where local businesses can use a recognizable brand to mislead consumers. It also preserves the company’s right to resume operations in the indefinite future if Russia’s war against Ukraine ends. McDonald’s announced its intention to retain the rights to its trademarks in Russia in a press release in 2022, announcing its exit from the Russian market: «The company intends to begin the process of ‘de-arching’ these restaurants, which involves ceasing to use the McDonald’s name, logo, branding and menu, although the company will continue to retain its trademarks in Russia.» McDonald’s sold all of its restaurants to the new Russian chain Vkusno i Tochka — albeit with the right to buy them back within 15 years. So there is no reason to believe that McDonald’s is returning to the Russian market: the company itself has not made such statements in its official communication channels.
As a reminder, McDonald’s made the decision to leave the Russian market in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in May 2022. At the time, the company explained that «the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, as well as the unpredictable conditions of doing business, forced McDonald’s to conclude that further ownership of a business in Russia is unacceptable and does not correspond to the company’s values.»
Similar reports have already been circulating in the pro-Russian segment of the network. These earlier reports concerned the Starbucks coffee chain and the Visa payment system. Given that we analysed both cases last year, and neither company has ever announced its entry into the Russian market, McDonald’s return to Russia also seems unlikely.
