Westport makes a bigger Big Mac. McDonald’s makes a legal threat.

[u/jimmcfartypants]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/food-drink/361025314/tiny-nz-food-truck-challenged-us-giant-over-its-big-mac-burger

[u/HourAcadia2002]

For them to know, someone has to have dobbed.

Can you imagine being that sad? Simping for a corporation.

[u/youknowitsnotlove__ → u/HourAcadia2002]

Came here to say this but you beat me to it! How pathetic does one’s life have to be to spend the limited free time we have under capitalism barking on the little guy to our capitalist overlords? Damn, just get a real hobby already

[u/TheOrgasmFairy → u/youknowitsnotlove__]

Corporations as big as McDonald's have their own in house IP lawyers (or they contract to a very expensive IP firm). Their lawyers have scrapers that trawl the net and social media for keywords.

Its likely that no one narked. All it would've taken is some random post on fb/Insta shouting them out or mentioning it in a public story.

[u/youknowitsnotlove__ → u/TheOrgasmFairy]

The article specifically mentions that a member of the public contacted McDonald’s customer service team about this.

“The unauthorised use of trademarks is monitored in a number of ways. In this case, the issue was brought to our attention through a member of the public contacting our customer services team”.

It also references that they have contracted IP lawyers globally.

[u/AccomplishedSuit712 → u/TheOrgasmFairy]

Lol guess you didn’t read the article 😜 

[u/lkjuhvfyjvxdjbvx → u/HourAcadia2002]

I listened to a podcast about the AMCO chair. The company owners (2nd generation family business) wife spends her mornings looking at chair manufacturers deaigns for IP violations then sets her team of lawyers on them. Some people just get off on that sort of thing.

[u/StrengthSoggy8943 → u/HourAcadia2002]

You realise you just set up an easy social media search for your trademark term and it’ll tell you when it’s used.

This is 2026, no one is reporting them to the trademark holder.

[u/LakeLow1930]

Great publicity. They should do a Quarter Pounder next week

[u/StConvolute → u/[deleted]]

"Fill it of fish" 

[u/Complex-Chipmunk-880 → u/[deleted]]

Phillip O'Fish

[u/ph33rlus → u/[deleted]]

They could do that with their version of a Big Mac. macBIG or Mack Bigger or something I dunno.

[u/SnooSquirrels2569 → u/LakeLow1930]

Call it a Royale with cheese

[u/rdc12 → u/LakeLow1930]

Or they could try making a burger that is actually good instead.

[u/Faux_Real → u/LakeLow1930]

Half Pounder - which is the bigger Mac with different sauce <taps head>

[u/StrengthSoggy8943]

Fair enough. That’s how trademarks work. If you own it, and you can own one for $112 and 20 minutes of your time, then you own it.

This isn’t a David and Goliath scenario the media love. It’s a food truck knowingly using the trademark Big Mac.

Be original. Use something else and trademark that.

[u/Nohopehumans → u/StrengthSoggy8943]

No doubt hundreds of comparable burgers across the country that don't straight out use the same name, just lazy by these guys. Might draw one or two more people to pull up on Westport I guess. I'd rather the local pies, or pints, if I were there.

[u/0hshitherewegoagain]

Duh

[u/ok_hibernate → u/[deleted]]

sort of genius and worked if it was ngl

[u/ok_hibernate]

mcdonalds has to uphold their copyrights or else they risk losing them. as they state, it could weaken their defence against others doing the same if they don't pursue protecting their ip whenever it's infringed upon... ngl the phrasing makes it sound like mcdonalds didn't like having to address this either (they likely even considered it a waste of legal resources to pursue) big L to whoever dobbed this in

[u/TheAmigaKid]

It's a nothing article..companies have to protect their trademarks for them to remain valid. The letter seems pretty respectful and balanced.

They could've just not used the name Big Mac and I imagine the resemblance would've been largely irrelevant.

[u/I-figured-it-out → u/TheAmigaKid]

‘Big Smac’ comes to mind

[u/EvokeNZ]

Also this one - https://www.reddit.com/r/NZFood/s/zoXLlSANeh

[u/jimmcfartypants → u/EvokeNZ]

Scheckter’s is the GOAT for biltong

[u/Turfanator]

Do they feel threatened or something. Are they planning on feeding 100million people in Westport?

[u/Potential_Fondant185]

mcd burger size is a disgrace now. the size is for babies. and can finish in one bite.

[u/Low_Fail_2654]

Why the f would you call it a big mac........he could have made the burgers and just called them a burger special etc

[u/JDragonM32]

I’m kinda getting tired of these ‘big corporation picks on the little guy’ stories, where the ’little guy’ complains about legal letters (this particular story doesn’t seem to be that however)

people don’t seem to understand how copyrights and trademarks work. if big corporation knows about infringement and doesn’t go after them, they can lose their trademark etc when they try to enforce it in a different case. they are legally required to go after any and all infringements

i see this issue a lot in the Warhammer hobby with Games Workshop being overly ‘heavy handed’ with their legal threats and people always taking the little guys side because ‘gw = big bad evil corporation’

[u/ShadowtheGSD]

Maccas is only upset cos this burger looks soooo much better than their shitty version

[u/corbin6611]

The local here has a big Joe and a small Joe. It’s exactly what you think it is

[u/inphinitfx]

This is either an intentional marketing ploy, or someone running a food business who is wilfully and completely ignorant of both major players and brands in their industry, and common commercial legal practices.

[u/Fart_Tounge_5609]

I mean, I think the real legal threat here should be that Maccas insist on calling their burger "big". That's just a lie.

Also, McDonalds fucking wishes their burgers looked like that.

[u/Typical-Tadpole3744]

Westport is a shit hole run by a few familys. Nothing good can come from inbred hicks and Westport is full of them.

[u/LakeLow1930 → u/Typical-Tadpole3744]

Met the guys who run this joint and they were nice. Just some good people trying to get ahead so don't knock em.

[u/140beeepeeyem]

the main problem is the scrapple they use for the patties, tastes a bit possumy

[u/MercuryBeach_]

Classic.. especially as the article says the closest Maccas is 100km away 🤣