News

McDonald's Monopoly game subject of lawsuit

November 29, 2011

McDonald's is being sued by LaserLock Technologies Inc. for patent infringement. At issue is the technology McDonald's uses to avoid fraud in its Monopoly game.

Pennsylvania-based LaserLock initiated the suit in 2010 against WS Packaging Group of Green Bay, Wisc., one of the largest label converting operations in North America, who manufactured the game pieces on behalf of McDonald's.

LaserLock claims that McDonald's used its patented technology to protect more than 1.5 billion Monopoly game pieces from being counterfeited. The pieces were manufactured by WS Packaging Group between 2009 and 2011.

LaserLock has issued a federal subpoena of McDonald's.

Norman A. Gardner, chairman and CEO of LaserLock, said his company will "vigorously pursue this violation of its patent rights over a three-year period."

"We have put in place the resources that will be required to pursue this matter to its conclusion," he said.

McDonald's U.S. October sales were up 5.2 percent, aided in part by the popular Monopoly promotion launched in late September.

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