High Court Orders Samsung to Pay Swatch Group $11.6 Million

The High Court in London ordered Samsung Electronics to pay $11.6 million in damages to the Swatch Group for trademark infringement. The ruling concludes a damages inquiry following a 2022 finding that Samsung was liable for infringements occurring between 2015 and 2019. The court determined that Samsung's Galaxy app store hosted third-party smartwatch watch face designs that mimicked luxury brands owned by Swatch, including Omega, Longines, Tissot, Breguet, and Blancpain.

Of the total award, $10 million was granted specifically for store display infringements. The judge ruled that the presence of these knock-offs on the platform was demeaning to the brands, regardless of whether the designs were actually downloaded. The final payout is significantly lower than the $170 million initially sought by the Swatch Group, but it far exceeds Samsung's assertion that it earned only $300 from the apps.

Samsung Electronics stated it is considering all possible countermeasures, including a potential appeal. The Swatch Group previously accused Samsung of attempting to belittle the compensation for its well-known brands by playing down the scale of the infringement.