Word: suppiah
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...Suppiah was referring to the eight-year-long court battle waged against his family's restaurant by McDonald's - a classic David-and-Goliath scenario that ended this week in defeat for the U.S. corporation. Malaysia's highest court ruled on Tuesday that McDonald's proprietary claim over the prefix Mc did not apply to McCurry because it sells only Indian food that has no connection with the American-style fast food that McDonald's sells in its 137 outlets throughout the country. For the past eight years, the Suppiahs have maintained that their restaurant's Mc prefix...
...Kanageswari spreads her arms over the trays of food. "Can you see anything McDonald's here?" About a dozen friends and loyal patrons who had turned up to celebrate her hard-won victory applaud in agreement. Her husband P. Suppiah, 55, a local businessman dressed in a coat and tie, stands by her, nodding in agreement. "They thought we would cut our losses and run ... but we fought back and have toppled a giant," he says. (Read about how McDonald's is giving Starbucks a run for its money...
...parts shop at the edge of the city center in Jalan Ipoh, is fairly ordinary-looking, considering its worldwide fame. The McCurry yellow logo may have a whiff of the Golden Arches, but it doesn't bear any other real resemblance to the U.S. chain. The Suppiahs had invested their life savings of $85,000 in the venture in 2001, hoping to strike it big as a franchise. "At that time, there was no Indian food franchise in the country. We hoped to be the first," says Kanageswari Suppiah. "We were doing fairly O.K. until the first legal letter arrived...
...After they refused, McDonald's took the Suppiahs to court, winning the first legal battle, in which the court ordered them to take down the Mc prefix from their signboard. The couple complied, but urged by friends and patrons, they appealed to the Court of Appeal, which decided in their favor in April this year. That court ruled that McDonald's claim on the Mc prefix had no merit and that since McCurry exclusively sells Indian food, the corporation did not suffer any loss of business from the smaller eatery. McDonald's then applied for leave to appeal...
...gradually gained a loyal clientele even as the suit weaved its way through the slow-moving judiciary. The publicity brought them additional patrons, including curious American tourists, Bollywood film crews and plenty of locals. "[Customers] usually attacked McDonald's as they tucked into our Indian dishes," says Mr. Suppiah. "We did gain from the publicity, but because of the lawsuit, we could not franchise our outlet." Adissayam Xavier, a regular customer at McCurry, agrees with its owners that the McDonald's suit has been unfair. "It is cold-hearted to try to put someone out of business simply because there...