Some of the most iconic watch faces in the world are connected to incredibly expensive watches, but a smartwatch can imitate those spendy devices with a little bit of code. Swatch isn't very happy about that, and it's accusing Samsung of knowingly profiting from clones of Swatch designs for devices like the Galaxy Watch. It cites numerous examples of allegedly copied designs in its filings, including one that came from a custom $650,000 watch.

According to Swatch, it first contacted Samsung about the cloned designs in December, all of which come from third-party developers. Many of the watch faces were paid, so Samsung was pocketing money from each sale. Samsung complied and pulled those watch faces from Galaxy Apps (recently renamed to Galaxy Store). However, it refused to review the way its store operates or commit to blocking future infringing designs.

Earlier this year, Swatch says it spotted more Tizen watch faces that were suspiciously similar to its designs, including one that copied the  $650,000 Jaquet Droz Tropical Bird Repeater (see above). This time, Samsung didn't even remove all of the cloned watch faces. Swatch has now filed a lawsuit against Samsung in New York, asking for $100 million in damages. This is not Swatch's first rodeo—the firm is notoriously litigious having previously sued Target, Tiffany & Co, and Bloomberg.

Source: Reuters

Via: The Verge