Swatch Sues Samsung for $170 Million Over Smartwatch Watch Faces
The case tests how far platform holders are liable for trademark infringement by third-party content distributed through their app stores, even when the platform itself did not create the infringing material.
Reporting from 1 sources: GIGAZINE.
Swatch is suing Samsung for $170 million, claiming that a third-party app for customizing smartwatch UI designs included watch faces that closely resemble Swatch products. The London High Court previously ruled Samsung liable for trademark infringement in 2022, and a damages trial is ongoing. Samsung argues the app generated negligible revenue and that Swatch suffered no real harm.
Swatch is seeking $170 million in damages from Samsung over a third-party app that let users change the look of their smartwatch screens to resemble Swatch watch designs. The London High Court already found Samsung liable for trademark infringement in 2022, and an appeal was dismissed. Now the court is deciding how much Samsung must pay.
Samsung's lawyer called the case "unusual and unrealistic," noting the app was almost entirely free and generated only about $1,000 in total download revenue, of which Samsung's share was roughly $300. Swatch counters that the app was downloaded about 160,000 times in the UK and EU between October 2015 and February 2019. A similar US lawsuit is paused pending the UK outcome.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.