The EU’s General Court has dismissed Apple’s appeal over Swatch’s “Tick Different” slogan, saying the objections are based on a “misreading” of the ruling, and the company’s “Think Different” trademark remains revoked in the region, reports AppleInsider.
“[The] Board of Appeal did not deny the words ‘Think Different’ any distinctive character, but attributed to them a rather weak distinctive character,” the Court said.
Apple sued Swiss watch maker Swatch for its “Tick different” ad campaign, which the Cupertino, California-based company said is a rip-off of its former “Think different” campaign.
In order to successfully argue its case, Apple had to prove that at least 50% of consumers associate “Think Different” with Apple branding. The Responding to Apple’s accusations, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek said any similarity between the two campaigns is coincidental. Hayek asserted “Tick different” has its roots in a Swatch campaign from the ’80s that carried the phrase “Always different, always new.”
The EU (European Union) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its policies aim “to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs, and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development.”
