A few days after the announcement of the closure of McDonald’s restaurants in Russia in protest against the attack on Ukraine by Moscow, a Russian fast-food chain has filed a new logo which is not insignificant.
The yellow arches on a red background
As reported by New York Post, the Uncle Vanya brand now wishes to be identified by a yellow “B” (the first letter of “Vanya” in the Cyrillic alphabet) on a red background. The shape of the “B” is exactly the same as the famous “M” of McDonald’s, but tilted to the side. They are also the same colors as those of American fast food.
It was the lawyer specializing in trademark law Josh Gerben who pointed out this resemblance, by posting on Twitter the filing of the new logo by Uncle Vanya dating from March 12.
Trademark squatting has begun in Russia.
On March 12th, a trademark application was filed for the McDonald’s logo with the words “Uncle Vanya.”
The Russian State Duma had earlier suggested that Russia would replace all McDonald’s with “Uncle Vanya’s.”
h/t @Oh_89 #McDonalds pic.twitter.com/JlUfkLK67J
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) March 16, 2022
Many Western brands withdraw from Russia
This logo may seem comical as the plagiarism is obvious. But while many Western brands announced that they were closing their stores in Russia or withdrawing from the Russian market to protest against the war in Ukraine, including Ikea, Coca-Cola, or even H&M, this new logo of Uncle Vanya is an attempt to replace these brands with Russian companies.
“They announced they were closing. All right, close. But tomorrow it should be Uncle Vanya instead of McDonald’s,” the spokesman for the State Duma (the Russian Assembly) said last week, according to reports from the washington post.
When McDonald’s announced the indefinite closure of about 850 restaurants in Russia, fans of the chain lined up to buy the last burgers, some even stocking up on their fridges.