What just happened? Many people will recognize the slogan “Think Different” as part of Apple’s famous advertising campaign from many years ago. But it seems most Swiss citizens aren’t familiar with the phrase, which is why watchmaker Swatch has been allowed to use the similar “Tick different” slogan to promote its products.
Apple filed a trademark lawsuit against Swatch back in April 2017 over the Swiss firm’s use of the words “Tick different” as part of its Bellamy watch campaign. The analogue devices are NFC-enabled, letting wearers make payments by linking their visa cards.
Apple claimed the phrase infringed on its “Think Different” advertising campaign, which ran from 1997 until 2002. It featured famous faces from throughout history, including Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and many more.
But while it might have been popular in the US, the campaign and its slogan weren’t as well known in Switzerland, according to the country’s Federal Administrative Court. It said that Apple had not produced documents that sufficiently prove more than 50 percent of local consumers associate 'Think Different' with the company.
Swatch’s CEO, Nick Hayek, says his firm's slogan comes from a campaign it ran in the eighties that used the line “Always different, always new.”
A few years ago, Swatch trademarked “One More Thing,” a catch phrase associated with Steve Jobs’ keynote speeches.
As noted by Reuters, “Think Different” was partly a dig at original Apple rival IBM, who had been using the motto “Think” to promote its products since 1935.
https://www.techspot.com/news/79490-swatch-allowed-use-tick-different-slogan-despite-apple.html
