Swatch claims 170 million dollars from Samsung for copying its watch designs

Swiss watch group Swatch has initiated legal proceedings in London's High Court, claiming 170 million dollars in damages from Samsung. The claim relates to the marketing of 26 digital watch face applications which, according to the company, reproduced the designs of its most recognised brands without authorisation.

The applications in question were available for download from Samsung's Galaxy App Store. They imitated the visual appearance of watches from the Omega, Tissot and Breguet brands, all of which belong to the Swiss group. Swatch estimates that the applications were downloaded approximately 160,000 times in the UK and the European Union during the period under claim, between October 2015 and February 2019.

Previous conviction and quantification phase

The London court had already ruled in 2022 that Samsung was liable for the trademark infringements, despite the applications having been developed by third parties. The ruling established that the South Korean conglomerate controlled the review and marketing process of the applications in its store, making it directly responsible. Samsung appealed that decision. The Court of Appeal, however, upheld the conviction at the end of 2023.

The current process aims to determine the amount of compensation. Since the lawsuit was filed before the UK's departure from the European Union, the ruling will have repercussions throughout the EU market. In parallel, proceedings have been opened in the US. These are currently suspended pending the London resolution.

Samsung rejects the claimed figure

Samsung's lawyers have described the claim as “exaggerated” and “out of touch with reality”. They argue that Swatch did not suffer any real losses and that the South Korean company did not make a significant profit from the matter. The judge will rule on the compensation at a later date.

The litigation comes at a sensitive time for Swatch. The Swiss group recorded an 88.6 percent decrease in its net profit for the 2025 financial year, falling to 25 million Swiss francs from 219 million in 2024. The year was marked by the impact of tariffs and weakened global demand.

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