Johannesburg – South Korean technology giant Samsung has been ordered by a London court to pay $11.6 million (about R190 million) to Swiss watchmaking group Swatch after a judge found that its Galaxy smartwatch app store hosted applications that copied luxury watch designs and trademarks.
According to Business Insider Africa, the case centred on third-party smartwatch applications made available through Samsung’s Galaxy App Store.
The apps allegedly reproduced designs associated with Swatch-owned brands including Omega, Breguet, Tissot, Longines and Blancpain.
The Financial Times reported that the High Court in London found Samsung liable for trademark infringement after determining that its platform had hosted apps that closely mimicked Swatch’s luxury watch designs.
Judge Marcus Smith reportedly compared Samsung’s hosting of the applications to “displaying counterfeit goods in a physical store”, arguing that their presence on the platform damaged Swatch’s brands.
The dispute involved around 30 third-party applications that infringed 23 Swatch trademarks between 2015 and 2019. Samsung did not develop the apps itself but was found liable for making them available through its platform.
Swatch had initially sought damages of about $170 million, making the final award substantially lower. About $10 million of the judgment related to the display of the infringing applications, regardless of how many times they were downloaded.
Samsung has argued that it removed offending applications after receiving complaints and is considering an appeal. The company is reportedly examining “all possible countermeasures, including an appeal” against the ruling.
Another legal blow for Samsung
The Swatch case adds to Samsung’s history of costly intellectual-property disputes.
In a separate long-running battle, US semiconductor company Netlist secured a jury verdict finding that Samsung had wilfully infringed several patents, with damages awards running into hundreds of millions of dollars. Netlist’s filings show a 2023 jury award of $303 million, while another case resulted in a $118 million award in 2024.
Samsung has also previously faced major patent litigation from Apple, including a case in which US courts found infringement of Apple’s smartphone design and technology patents.
The latest ruling highlights the growing legal risks for technology companies operating digital marketplaces, where businesses can face liability over content created and uploaded by third parties.
For Samsung, the London judgment represents another costly intellectual-property dispute as the company continues to expand its Galaxy ecosystem across smartphones, smartwatches and other connected devices.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
