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12 September 2016Trademarks

Swatch successfully opposes Apple’s ‘iWatch’ trademark

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has partially granted Swatch’s opposition to Apple’s trademark application for ‘iWatch’.

Apple’s application covered computer software; security devices; monitors and monitoring devices; cameras; computers; computer hardware; computer peripherals; wireless communication devices; radios; audio and video devices; global positioning system devices; accessories, parts, components, and cases for all of those goods.

The opposition was successful for all the goods except for computer software; security devices; computer peripherals, parts, components; and cases for all the goods.

According to the IPO, the trademark will be registered for those goods.

Swatch filed the opposition in March 2014 after Apple applied for a trademark for its iWatch product.

The opposition was based on the ground that the trademark Apple was seeking would cover an identical or similar product to iSwatch, a smart watch by Swatch.

Further, Swatch opposed Apple’s application with the claim that the applicant’s mark is similar and likely to create confusion among the public between the two products.

Apple had then opposed the claims made by Swatch, stating that it already has a “reputation of a family of 23 marks with the prefix ‘i’”, which would mean that the public would associate iWatch with Apple and therefore not confuse it with the opponent’s mark.

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