‘McFest’ Lawsuit Settled

A college student’s legal dispute with McDonald’s regarding her attempt to trademark the “McFest” name for her charity concert series has reportedly been settled amicably.

Lauren McClusky agreed to drop the “McFest” name in exchange for a $40,000 donation from McDonald’s and the fast-food giant’s sponsorship of the concert this year and next, according to Walletpop.com.

McClusky, daughter of Chicago radio promoter Jeff McClusky, previously explained she chose “McFest” for her concert series that benefits Special Olympics Chicago because her own last name has “Mc” in it. When McClusky tried to trademark the name, she was notified that McDonald’s had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against her because the company holds the trademark on many names beginning with “Mc” as well as the prefix itself, Walletpop said.

After various publications picked up the story of McClusky’s legal woes, McDonald’s reps had a public relations mess on their hands to deal with as public opinion online strongly sided with McClusky.

The event, now renamed “Nelarusky,” will again be hosted at Chicago’s Metro club Aug 4 but this time it’s an official pre-Lollapalooza event, thanks to all the press. The Constellations, who will also play Lollapalooza Aug. 6, are headlining the benefit.

Nelarusky has the same foundation as the original moniker: much like McFest, Nelarusky is associated with the promoter’s name, this time a jumble of the letters in “Lauren McClusky.”