The biggest watchmaker of the world, Swatch Group, has taken action against the maker of the iPhone because the most valuable technology company has made use of the iWatch wearable technology. According to the Nick Hayek, the Chief Executive Officer of Swatch Group, it is highly similar to the company’s very own iSwatch product. The measures of Swatch include pointing out to the authorities of all the countries where it is registered as a prominent trademark about the use of the term ‘iWatch’ by Apple Inc. Mr. Hayek provided this information in an interview, but did not elaborate as to when this action was taken and the names of countries that had been contacted.
He further added that it wasn’t in the plans of Swatch to take Apple Inc. to court concerning this matter. He said that this was simply regarded as procedure for keeping its own brand name protected and this reaction had also occurred for all the other brand names that were protected by the company previously. Any specifics haven’t been disclosed by Cupertino, California based Apple Inc. regarded its internet-connected wristwatch. A digital display model, which is known by the name of iSwatch is sold by the Swatch Group that has its headquarters in Biel, Switzerland.
Hayek did add that because the names are highly similar, it may be the intention of the iPhone maker to make inroads on their company’s brand name. A spokeswoman of Apple Inc., Kristin Huguet declined to make any comments regarding the statement made by Swatch. Mr. Hayek asserted that the company has the policy of fighting against anyone who registers a name that’s too much like the one that they have been protecting. It was on May 3rd when the plans of the Swatch group were first reported by a website on the internet. The CEO of the company has emphasized that the iSwatch name has been registered by the company in more than a dozen countries so they want to protect it.
Not only is the Swatch brand owned by the Swatch Group, but it also owns several others including Tissot, Omega, Longines and Breguet. A smartwatch wearable technology hasn’t been introduced by Apple Inc. as yet and neither has the company made any official announcement concerning its plans of doing so and using the name of iWatch for the product. However, the filing in Japan Patent Office made on June 3rd shows that the company applied for trademark protection last year for the term iWatch in Japan.
However, it was revealed by a search on the World Intellectual Property organization website that trademark protection for the name of iWatch has been filed by nearly 50 companies and it had been granted in Monaco. But, its similarity to iSwatch got it rejected in Iceland. Hayek said that Apple and Swatch have occasional contact because the iPhone maker, having a market value worth $510 billion that’s around 15 times greater than Swatch, consults the Swiss company about new and upcoming technologies. Nonetheless, he added that the iWatch/iSwatch issue hadn’t been discussed.