Swarovski, the Austria-based world-famous crystal manufacturer, filed a trademark lawsuit against a Shanghai-based wedding dress manufacturer, Shanghai Swalro Formal Dress Co.Ltd., alleging their registered trademark Swarovski violated by Shanghai Swalro's Swalro and "施華洛".  Shanghai No.2 Intermediate Court heard the case recently.

Swarovski held that the "施华洛世奇" trademark was derived from its founder's name, the "施華洛" trademark would cause confusion among consumers. However, the Shanghai Swalro argued that what "施华洛世奇" distinguished from other trademarks due to its entirety, not the single elements, even if "施華洛" trademark was partly similar in characteristics.

Meanwhile, Swarovski held that the two trademarks of Swalro and Swarovski were similar in words and would easily cause similarity among the consumers. But Shanghai Swalro argued that Swalro was created from the English word swallowtail, and they didn't copy or violate Swarovski's trademark.

The two parties both preferred settlement and we will follow the development of the case.

(China IP News)