What was the name of the 1977 court case involving McDonaldland characters and the Krofft company?

The 1977 case involving McDonaldland characters and the Krofft company was Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald’s Corp.

Sid and Marty Krofft created the television series H.R. Pufnstuf, whose fantasy characters and settings were central to the dispute. The Kroffts argued that McDonaldland’s advertising characters and world copied protected elements from their program. The case became an important U.S. copyright decision because it addressed substantial similarity in visual characters and fictional environments.

A jury found for the Kroffts, and the legal dispute affected McDonald’s use of some McDonaldland material. The case is often remembered simply as the “McDonaldland case,” but its formal title identifies both the television-production company and McDonald’s corporation.

It is not a trademark case about the Golden Arches. It is chiefly cited in copyright discussions involving characters, settings, and the overall look of a fictional world.