"Samsung Watch Faces Copied Luxury Watch Designs"... Swatch Demands 260 Billion Won in Damages

Court Recognizes Trademark Infringement Liability; Damages Yet to Be Determined
Swatch: "Brand Value Undermined"... Samsung: "Excessive Claim"

Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group has demanded approximately 170 million US dollars (about 260 billion won) in damages from Samsung Electronics. Swatch alleges that watch faces distributed on Galaxy smartwatches unlawfully copied the designs of its luxury watches, thereby infringing on its trademarks.

On June 25 (local time), the Financial Times (FT) reported that Swatch made this compensation claim in the ongoing damages hearing at the High Court in London, United Kingdom, holding Samsung Electronics responsible. The court had already recognized Samsung’s liability for trademark infringement in 2022, and is now in the process of determining the amount of damages.

Swatch claims that approximately 26 watch face apps distributed through the Samsung Galaxy Store replicated and sold or distributed the appearances of luxury watch brands under its group, such as Omega, Tissot, and Breguet, almost exactly. Swatch stated that the problematic apps were downloaded about 160,000 times in the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU).

Swatch Group has demanded approximately 260 billion KRW in damages from Samsung Electronics over trademark infringement. The photo is unrelated to the content of the article. Pixabay

Swatch maintains that, although the apps were made by third-party developers, Samsung should be held responsible because it managed the app review and distribution. Swatch further explained that it has a policy of not granting brand licenses to smartwatch manufacturers, and based on this, the calculated value of a 'hypothetical license' amounts to 170 million US dollars.

Sylvain Dolla, CEO of Tissot, stated in court that "allowing our brand on smartwatches could damage the value of our luxury watches," explaining the reason for not providing licenses.

In contrast, Samsung Electronics argued that all the disputed watch faces were created by external developers and that the company immediately removed them once the trademark infringement was confirmed, making the damages claim excessive. Samsung explained that the actual economic benefit or Swatch’s losses were minimal, so the claimed amount lacks realism. In addition, most of the apps were free, with the total download revenue amounting to only about 1,000 US dollars, of which Samsung received about 300 US dollars.

FT reported that, since this lawsuit was filed before Brexit, the scope of compensation could include damages that occurred not only in the United Kingdom but also throughout the EU. Lawsuits on the same matter are also underway in the United States, but the local court there will proceed after observing the outcome of the trial in the United Kingdom.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.