"iSwatch" maker Swatch moves to block Apple from trademarking "iWatch"

Apple is facing another name-battle in the court, but this time it's not some outlaw Chinese manufacturer that patented "iPhone 6" in its homeland just because its board of directors got drunk one night and decided that would be hilarious. This time, it's Switzerland's coveted timepiece craftsmen Swatch. And you'd never guess what they're after - it's the iWatch brand.

The reason is sensible enough. Swatch has its own line of watches, called "iSwatch". The similarity between "iWatch" and "iSwatch" is significant enough to confuse customers between the two, hence Swatch wants to block Apple from trademarking "iWatch" in the countries where the iSwatch is sold. Perhaps Apple should have tried harder to keep the "iSomething" naming pattern for itself, even though it's not its - the company iRobot preceeded the iMac's birth by eight years.

Apple has already trademarked the Iwatch in some countries, including Japan, Mexico, and Turkey, which means Swatch has a fair share of work on the desk. In addition, Cupertino reportedly looked into collaborating with Swatch and other watch building experts from Switzerland, but couldn't convince them to join its efforts.

via 9to5Mac