American fast-food giant McDonald's Corp. on Tuesday lost an eight-year battle to prevent a family-run Kuala Lumpur restaurant from calling itself McCurry, after Malaysia's top court said the Indian-food joint could use the prefix "Mc" in its name.

A McCurry lawyer, Sri Dev Nair, said the ruling means McDonald's doesn't have a monopoly on the prefix "Mc," and that other restaurants could also use it as long as they distinguished their food from McDonald's.

The court ruling, which carries weight solely in Malaysia, only addressed the claim by McCurry and didn't comment on other restaurants' use of the prefix.

A McDonald's spokesperson said the company respects the court's decision, and "will continue to vigorously defend our trademarks and brand around the world, as we always have."

People who follow trademark cases in Malaysia and other Southeast Asia countries say that global companies often pursue a "zero tolerance" policy to perceived trademark infringements. This is because executives worry that rivals using similar brand names or logos could confuse customers and undermine confidence in global brands. Tuesday's ruling against McDonald's in Malaysia could unsettle other global companies operating in the region.

Meanwhile, the owner of McCurry said he is looking for partners to expand now that the legal campaign is over, with plans to launch a chain of restaurants.

"We definitely want to bring our vision to a broader clientele," said 45-year-old P. Suppiah, in a telephone interview. He said the legal controversy could provide his restaurant a timely boost and draw in potential partners.