Samsung ordered to pay Swatch US$11. 6 million over copied smartwatch apps
The Swiss watchmaker sought about US$170 million from the Korean technology giant
The High Court in London has ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Swatch Group US$11.6 million for unlawfully displaying the luxury brands' designs on its smartwatch apps. The trademark ruling, published on August 26, came after Swatch Group sought about US$170 million from Samsung, accusing it of hosting copied displays for Swatch brands, including Breguet, Longines, and Omega.
Judge Marcus Smith stated that the low price of the apps is demeaning to the brands Swatch seeks to promote. Samsung had been using the Swatch Group's trademarks on its app store between 2015 and 2019, allowing users to download digital watch displays that replicated the appearance of Swatch watches without paying. The judge emphasized that Swatch Group carefully cultivated and marketed its brands over decades, which constituted a significant part of their business. Samsung and Swatch Group representatives have not yet commented on the ruling.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Companies & Markets's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
