Luxury watch brands face trademark infringement cases in Taiwan and Canada

Law enforcement and legal actions regarding luxury watch trademark infringement have emerged in two separate regions. In Taiwan, the Criminal Investigation Bureau’s Intellectual Property Investigation Division dismantled a group selling counterfeit luxury watches, including brands such as Rolex, Hublot, Patek Philippe, Montblanc, and IWC. Authorities seized 149 counterfeit watches with an estimated infringement value of NT$60 million. The suspects, including a Vietnamese national, allegedly imported high-quality imitations and used social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook to attract customers to a physical storefront.

In Canada, Rolex has filed a lawsuit against jewelry store Bijoux Medusa and its owner, J. Duguay. Rolex alleges that the company sells and modifies watches and parts in a manner that misleads consumers into believing they are authentic Rolex products, constituting unfair competition. The brand is seeking damages exceeding $50,000. Bijoux Medusa has denied the allegations, maintaining that all watches sold are authentic and that their business involves legal customization, such as adding diamonds to genuine timepieces. The company claims the lawsuit is an attempt by Rolex to dominate the pre-owned market.