Agreement Assures Authenticity and High Quality of Products Bearing Swiss Army
Name/Secures Economic Opportunities and Jobs in Switzerland
SHELTON, Conn., Dec. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The Swiss Federal Defense
Department entered into a precedent-setting agreement Wednesday, in Bern,
Switzerland with Swiss Army Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: SABI) of Shelton,
Connecticut, to protect the integrity of the Swiss Army(R) trademark and the
high quality standards of Swiss-made goods. The proliferation of "Swiss Army"
imitators and fraudulent use of the trademark spurred this move by the Swiss
government. The agreement targets products bearing the Swiss Army name or
Swiss military-sounding names which are not made in Switzerland and not
authorized by the Swiss government.
The Swiss Federal Defense Department has registered a trademark containing
the words "Swiss Army" in Switzerland and has now granted Swiss Army Brands,
Inc. important worldwide use and sublicensing rights in connection with that
mark on a wide variety of products. The arrangement recognizes the trademark
rights and goodwill built up by Swiss Army Brands, Inc. and is intended to be
perpetual for goods on which the mark is actually used.
Swiss Army Brands, Inc. has been marketing products under the Swiss Army
name in the U.S. for over 40 years, exceeding $750 million since 1974. The
company holds the exclusive right to use Swiss Army on watches and other
products and has licensed another U.S. firm to use the trademark on certain
other goods.
Swiss Army Brands, Inc., as licensee, will join the Swiss government in
protecting the trademark and plans to pay royalties to benefit Swiss citizens
on sales of all products sold under the Swiss government's trademark outside
the U.S. and its territories, Canada and the Caribbean.
Since Swiss law dictates that products bearing the Swiss name must be
Swissmade, this agreement safeguards jobs for Swiss workers and ensures
economic opportunity for Swiss manufacturers well into the future.
J. Merrick Taggart, president of Swiss Army Brands, Inc. said, "The
agreement solidifies our joint commitment to protect the integrity of the
Swiss Army trademark. By taking this decision the Swiss government has
assured that all products bearing the Swiss Army name are Swiss-made,
maintaining the high quality standards associated with Swiss manufacture. It
is a gratifying recognition of the values we have shared for many years -- a
pledge to our Swiss heritage and to product excellence."
Swiss Army Brands, Inc., formerly The Forschner Group, Inc., is the
exclusive United States, Canadian and Caribbean marketer of Swiss Army(R)
Brand Watches and Sunglasses. In addition, the company also distributes
Victorinox(R) Original Swiss Army(TM) Knives. Swiss Army Brands, Inc. also
markets Victorinox(R) Watches, cutlery under the R.H. Forschner(R) brand for
professional use and the Cuisine de France(R) and Sabatier(R) brands for
consumers. The company is publicly traded (Nasdaq: SABI).
