Swatch Will Not Sue Apple Over iWatch Trademark

IWatch

Popular Swiss watchmaker Swatch, who has recently opposed Apple’s registration of iWatch at patent and trademark offices, has today issued a statement that it will not take any legal action against Apple, ZDNET reports. The company feels that the name iWatch sounds a lot like iSwatch, a trademark registered by the Swiss watchmaker for one of its product lines. However, it has decided not sue Apple over the trademark.

“It is normal practice to register brand names in order to protect them, as it is also normal practice that one continues to monitor ongoing registrations with respect to similar-sounding names, and, where necessary, to oppose such registration,” a Swatch Group spokesman told ZDNet. The Swatch Group is opposing Apple’s registration of iWatch, the spokesman said, but added it was “not a legal action treated at a law court”.

Swatch currently sells an iSwatch with a digital interface. The company spokesman explained that the “i” in iSwatch refers to ‘internet time’, a marketing concept devised a few years ago constructed around the idea of a universal Swatch “beat”. While Apple hasn’t given any details about whether an iWatch is planned, including what it will be called, the company last year registered the name in Japan, Mexico, Turkey, Taiwan, and Russia.

An Apple spokesperson declined to comment about the matter.

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