GOOD DAY FOR: Le Big Mac, as Frenchman Denis Hennequin, in three years as head of McDonald’s European operations, has turned Europe into the fast-food chain’s biggest region by revenue. Despite having about a quarter the number of locations as in the U.S., McDonald’s Europe earned $8.9 billion last year, versus $7.9 billion in the U.S. Europe is expected to outperform again when McDonald’s reports earnings July 23. (BusinessWeek.com)
BAD DAY FOR: Crossing Barbie, after Mattel won a huge federal patent-infringement lawsuit against MGA Entertainment over MGA’s blockbuster Bratz dolls. The jury agreed with Mattel that the Bratz line was developed while its creator, Carter Bryant, was under exclusive contract as a Barbie designer at Mattel. Mattel is seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and an injunction against Bratz sales. (Reuters)
