Overview
- Closing arguments in the London damages hearing finished on Friday, June 26, and Justice Marcus Smith is expected to hand down a ruling at a later date.
- The litigation began in 2019 and a London High Court found Samsung liable for trademark infringement in 2022 for third-party apps that replicated dials from Swatch-owned brands such as Omega and Tissot.
- Swatch says $170 million reflects hypothetical licence fees for 10 of its brands and is meant to compensate for loss of prestige and brand value from widespread digital copies.
- Samsung has called the demand extravagant and pointed to trial figures showing about 160,000 downloads produced roughly $1,000 in app revenue and about $300 in platform commission.
- The judge’s decision could set cross-border precedent on how platforms are held responsible for third-party content and influence whether Swatch pursues a similar suit against a Samsung subsidiary in the U.S.