Swatch moves to stop iWatch trademark

3.3 k views | Posted May 13, 2014 | By Stephanie Chan • Staff Journalist

Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch Group has challenged technology giant Apple over its applications to trademark the iWatch label.

According to multiple media sources, Swatch has taken action in a number of countries to oppose Apple’s attempts to trademark the “iWatch” name. The watchmaker believes it is too similar to the name of its “iSwatch” product – a digital watch with a touch-screen.

Swatch has reportedly highlighted this fact to the authorities in each country in which iWatch has been registered in an effort to block trademark approval.

The action was first reported by Swiss news website watson.ch, which claimed that Monaco had approved the iWatch trademark application while Iceland “provisionally refused” it, based on the fact it was “confusingly similar” to the existing iSwatch trademark.

Swatch CEO, Nick Hayek

In an interview with Bloomberg, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek described the group’s actions as being “the normal procedure to protect your own brand name,” adding, “We react like this for all other brand names that we have protected.

“If somebody wants to register a name that is too close to a name that we have protected, we fight against it,” he said.

At the time of publication, Swatch had not responded to requests for comment.

What’s in a name?
This is not the first time that Swatch has entered a legal battle over name similarities. The group was involved in an almost eight-year dispute with Belgium watch brand Ice-Watch after the latter filed to trademark its company name.

Swatch felt that the phonetic similarity between “Ice-Watch” and “I-Swatch” or even “Ice-Swatch” could lead to deception within the public.

The two companies finally reached conciliation in January this year, signing an agreement to end litigation proceedings.

All quiet on the Apple front
Apple remains silent on the topic of the smartwatch – or iWatch – it is rumoured to be developing.

Last month however, it had reportedly moved to expand and tidy up its applications in trademark Class 14, which covers jewellery and watches, among other things, fuelling speculation that the iWatch will be launched later this year.

It has been said that the iWatch would use a flexible AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) display in two sizes as well as have a strong health and fitness focus – but details have yet been publically confirmed.

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