Products claiming to be "made in Switzerland" are increasingly in violation of trademark laws, prompting the government to try to tighten them.
This content was published on
1 minute
The cabinet on Wednesday took up the issue of “Swissness” in an effort to protect the commercial use of national emblems or words like “Swiss quality” or even “Switzerland” on goods and services sold within the country.
“How much ‘Switzerland’ must be in a product or a service for it to be labeled ‘Switzerland’?” asks a government statement. “The existing laws leave a lot open and take too little account of economic reality.”
To fight what it called increasing abuse, the government says it will propose revisions to trademark laws to enhance the protection of the Swiss brand, which has come to stand for quality and reliability.
Among the proposed revisions: Plants would have to be harvested in Switzerland to carry a Swiss label; industrial products, like knives, would have to incur 60 per cent of their production costs in Switzerland (including research and development); and in the case of processed products, they would have to would have to gain their “defining characteristics” in Switzerland – one example being turning milk into cheese.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
“Made in Switzerland” brand retains its appeal
This content was published on
Switzerland’s exports are down, in line with other countries, but manufacturers will prosper in the long run if they market traditional qualities of reliability and value, a Swiss Brands conference heard. Swiss companies should not change their strategy of producing expensive, well-made goods because some consumers have become more price conscious, according to Stephan Feige…
This content was published on
A survey of 8,000 foreign consumers has confirmed Switzerland’s image as a land of expensive but efficient goods. The report coincides with a debate on how to protect the Swiss brand from fraud. The Swissness Worldwide report, unveiled on Wednesday at the Swiss Brands 08 conference in Zurich, presented an overwhelmingly positive perception of Swiss…
This content was published on
What could come as a surprise however is learning that Switzerland is not in fact the home of the cuckoo clock and that many of the cheap quartz clocks on sale are made in China, South Korea and Japan. The Black Forest region of southern Germany is where cuckoo clocks – mostly depicting a hunting…
This content was published on
Switzerland exports products all over the world. We take you on a quick journey around the planet to uncover Swiss Made advertising.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.