U.K. court orders Samsung Electronics to pay Swatch $11.6M over copycat apps

Samsung Electronics has been ordered to pay Swatch Group a sum of US$11.6 million for infringing the trademark rights of its luxury brands, including Breguet, Longines, and Omega. The High Court's decision, made on August 26, came after the Swiss watchmaker sought around US$170 million from Samsung for displaying the Swatch brands on its smartwatch displays.

Samsung argued that the damages were not worth more than $300, but the judge disagreed, stating that the use of the Swatch Group brands on Samsung's app store was highly damaging. The infringement occurred between 2015 and 2019, and the judge assessed damages based on royalties from about 160,000 downloads of the infringing watch-face apps in Europe.

Samsung's spokesperson said the company would consider all possible countermeasures, including an appeal. The Swatch Group, which has carefully cultivated and promoted its brands for decades, emphasized that Samsung does not value the marks and considers them inconsequential to its consumer offerings. The Swatch Group has also initiated separate proceedings against Samsung in a US Court.