Why stop at grabbing a $1 coffee at McDonald’s? If you like the fast food joint’s cup of joe to go, McDonald’s seems to be relying on the idea that you might want to take a bag of the stuff home with you and brew it on your own. The company filed a trademark for its very own brand of ground and whole-bean coffee at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, perhaps in a bid to horn in a bit of Dunkin’ Donuts’ business in the coffee aisle at the grocery store.

According to NASDAQ, the chain officially applied to secure its own brand of coffee on Sept. 18. Dunkin’ Donuts already does pretty well with its bagged business, both in its restaurant locations and at supermarkets. Ostensibly, if customers like the products at the actual store, that sentiment will spill over when they’re shopping on their own and remain loyal to the brand.

If it isn’t entering the bagged coffee arena, points out NASDAQ’s report, the reason for trying to trademark the brand could just be to prevent anyone else from doing so.

“As you know, we are always looking at new and exciting ways to remain relevant to our customers and be where they need us to be,” said Danya Proud, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s. “But this is not something I can confirm or deny at this time.” She also added that, “We register a lot of trademarks. That’s nothing new for us.”

And hey, if you’re making your own coffee at home, you’ll have a lot harder time suing McDonald’s for spilling hot coffee on yourself.

McDonald’s Files Trademark for Ground and Whole-Bean Coffee [NASDAQ]

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