A Swiss court has ruled in favour of watchmaker Swatch in an intellectual property dispute with Apple. The United States technology giant had complained that Swatch had ripped off its marketing slogan “Think Different”.
Apple took exception when SwatchExternal link, the largest watch producer in Switzerland, coined the term “Tick Different”. But the Federal Administrative Court has rejected the complaint, ruling that Apple’s advertising campaign slogan was not sufficiently well known in Switzerland to allow the US company to force Swatch to revoke its similar title.
“This means that the case must be dismissed,” the court said in its ruling published on Tuesday.
This is not the first time that Apple has duelled with Swiss firms over the issue of intellectual property rights. In 2012 Swiss Federal Railways complained that Apple had infringed its patent rights on its iconic Swiss clock design that hangs in stations throughout the country.
Swatch reported net sales growth of 6.1% last year to CHF8.5 billion ($8.5 billion) with net profits rising nearly 15% to CHF867 million. But the annual figures were below the expectations of analysts who warn that the company’s sales this year could be hit by a downturn in the Chinese economy.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
What Trump’s return or a new Harris administration would mean for Switzerland
Should raw milk sales be banned or should consumers decide?
Swiss food regulations do not allow raw milk to be sold for direct consumption. However, a loophole allows 400 raw milk vending machines to do just that.
Is reforming the Swiss pension system still possible, and if so, how?
Solutions still need to be found to meet the challenge of an ageing population and to improve the pensions of low-paid workers, the majority of whom are women.
This content was published on
Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife, Eva Pavlova, arrived in Switzerland on Tuesday at the start of a two-day state visit.
Study shows proliferation of non-native plants is driver of insect invasions
This content was published on
A global study has revealed that insect invasions are being driven by the proliferation of non-native plants. This can can massively disrupt ecological processes, often leading to serious economic impacts.
Swiss set record for world’s longest hyperloop test
This content was published on
Swiss scientists have established a record for the longest-ever hyperloop journey at a facility in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Swiss army wants to purchase new German armoured howitzers to replace its existing artillery system which has been in operation for over 50 years.
Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland
This content was published on
Around a quarter of Swiss citizens would vote for Donald Trump if they had the chance, according to a recent poll. This percentage is higher than in many other European countries.
Swiss court rejects special assistance for student with disabilities
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Court has rejected an application for special assistance from a student with disabilities at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.
Police arrest 15 drug dealers in Verbier in southern Switzerland
This content was published on
Swiss and French police have arrested 15 suspected drug dealers operating in the mountain resort of Verbier in southern Switzerland.
New European space tech centre in Switzerland launches its first project
This content was published on
The European Space Deep-Tech Innovation Centre (ESDI), launched in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), is to be located in the immediate vicinity of the PSI in northern Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Railways launches campaign for safety on public transport
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways is launching a campaign for greater respect and safety on public transport, with posters to go up in stations and on trains starting next week.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss Railways clocks up agreement with Apple
This content was published on
“The parties have agreed that the amount of the licensing fee and any further details on the licencing arrangement will remain confidential,” said railway spokeswoman Lea Meyer in a statement published on the company’s website on Friday. The railway clock was created in 1944 by Swiss electrical engineer and designer Hans Hilfiker. The red second…
This content was published on
The clock was the subject of a patent dispute which the railways settled with Apple in October 2012 for a widely reported but unofficial sum of CHF20 million ($21.5 million). Details of the arrangement remained otherwise confidential. Apple had used the Swiss station clock design without permission for its mobile operating system iOS6, released in…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.