03-12-2025, 01:04 PM
Luxury fashion giant LVMH sued over NFT patent tech for watches
<p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDEvMDE5NGI5NmUtMjY4Ni03MjI3LThjOTAtNDc3MDE5ZDNiNWU3.jpg"></p><p><p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDEvMDE5NGI5NmUtMjY4Ni03MjI3LThjOTAtNDc3MDE5ZDNiNWU3.jpg" alt="Luxury fashion giant LVMH sued over NFT patent tech for watches"></p><p>A company selling smartwatch face designs through non-fungible tokens has sued LVMH, accusing the luxury fashion conglomerate of patent infringement.<p>In a March 10 complaint filed to a Texas federal court, Watch Skins Corporation alleged that LVMH misappropriated its “pioneering NFT display technology.”</p><p>Watch Skins claimed it developed a unique system that allows users to display verified <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/what-are-nfts-and-why-are-they-revolutionizing-the-art-world" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">NFT</a> artworks on smartwatches and holds multiple patents related to the technology.</p><p>It claimed that a smartwatch from the LVMH-owned watch brand TAG Heuer and other products from the conglomerate’s brands unlawfully used NFT display technology that was based on three patents that Watch Skins owned.</p><figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-03/019588b9-d792-7515-be89-fab948d7add7" title="" alt="Luxury fashion giant LVMH sued over NFT patent tech for watches"><figcaption style="text-align: center;"><p><em>The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 (pictured) was one of the watches Watch Skins claimed infringed on its patent. Source: </em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.tagheuer.com/us/en/smartwatches/collections/tag-heuer-connected/42-mm/SBR8010.BC6608.html" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://www.tagheuer.com/us/en/smartwatches/collections/tag-heuer-connected/42-mm/SBR8010.BC6608.html"><em>TAG Heuer</em></a></p></figcaption></figure><p>LVMH is a multinational holding company that owns dozens of well-known luxury goods brands, including <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/louis-vuitton-embraces-web3-launches-its-iconic-trunk-as-a-digital-collectible" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">Louis Vuitton</a>, Givenchy, TAG Heuer, Tiffany, Christian Dior, Hennessy and the champagne brand Moët & Chandon.</p><p>Watch Skins said its first patent covers a system that verifies <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/nft-trading-volume-down-63-since-december" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">NFT</a> ownership before allowing it to be displayed on a watch face, the second one covers a system where an NFT must be verified through a blockchain wallet before being displayed on a smartwatch, and the third focuses on the retrieval and display of customized watch faces based on NFT ownership.</p><p>It claimed TAG Heuer encouraged customers to infringe on the patents by providing instructions on how to use its NFT display features.</p><p>“The watch allows the NFT to be displayed if owned by the user’s crypto wallet [and] connects to a user’s crypto wallet to guarantee authenticity of works displayed,” the complaint explained. </p><p><em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/nfts-2024-worst-year-since-2020-dappradar" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>NFTs just had their worst performing year since 2020: DappRadar</strong></em></a></p><p>Watch Skins requested a jury trial and compensation for lost profits and royalties due to infringement and a court order preventing <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/lvmh-augmenting-humans-ai-not-replacing" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">LVMH</a> from further use of the patented technology.</p><p>The company <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/now-watch-this-new-crypto-collectible-watch-faces-to-debut-at-ces-expo-in-las-vegas-883727710.html" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">announced</a> the launch of the world’s first blockchain NFT watch face marketplace at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2020. </p><p>The mobile app gives consumers “the ability to purchase authentic, licensed smartwatch faces from their favorite brands,” Watch Skins stated at the time.</p><p>Cointelegraph has contacted LVMH for comment.</p><p><em><strong>Magazine: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/china-memecoin-factory-hk-firm-dumps-bitcoin-asia-express/" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Mystery celeb memecoin scam factory, HK firm dumps Bitcoin: Asia Express</strong></em></a></p><template data-name="subscription_form" data-type="law_decoded" label="Subscription Form: Law Decoded"></template></p>
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https://cointelegraph.com/news/luxury-fa...er_inbound
<p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDEvMDE5NGI5NmUtMjY4Ni03MjI3LThjOTAtNDc3MDE5ZDNiNWU3.jpg"></p><p><p style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 15px; width:240px;"><img src="https://images.cointelegraph.com/images/840_aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy5jb2ludGVsZWdyYXBoLmNvbS91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjUtMDEvMDE5NGI5NmUtMjY4Ni03MjI3LThjOTAtNDc3MDE5ZDNiNWU3.jpg" alt="Luxury fashion giant LVMH sued over NFT patent tech for watches"></p><p>A company selling smartwatch face designs through non-fungible tokens has sued LVMH, accusing the luxury fashion conglomerate of patent infringement.<p>In a March 10 complaint filed to a Texas federal court, Watch Skins Corporation alleged that LVMH misappropriated its “pioneering NFT display technology.”</p><p>Watch Skins claimed it developed a unique system that allows users to display verified <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/learn/articles/what-are-nfts-and-why-are-they-revolutionizing-the-art-world" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">NFT</a> artworks on smartwatches and holds multiple patents related to the technology.</p><p>It claimed that a smartwatch from the LVMH-owned watch brand TAG Heuer and other products from the conglomerate’s brands unlawfully used NFT display technology that was based on three patents that Watch Skins owned.</p><figure><img src="https://s3.cointelegraph.com/uploads/2025-03/019588b9-d792-7515-be89-fab948d7add7" title="" alt="Luxury fashion giant LVMH sued over NFT patent tech for watches"><figcaption style="text-align: center;"><p><em>The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 (pictured) was one of the watches Watch Skins claimed infringed on its patent. Source: </em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.tagheuer.com/us/en/smartwatches/collections/tag-heuer-connected/42-mm/SBR8010.BC6608.html" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="https://www.tagheuer.com/us/en/smartwatches/collections/tag-heuer-connected/42-mm/SBR8010.BC6608.html"><em>TAG Heuer</em></a></p></figcaption></figure><p>LVMH is a multinational holding company that owns dozens of well-known luxury goods brands, including <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/louis-vuitton-embraces-web3-launches-its-iconic-trunk-as-a-digital-collectible" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">Louis Vuitton</a>, Givenchy, TAG Heuer, Tiffany, Christian Dior, Hennessy and the champagne brand Moët & Chandon.</p><p>Watch Skins said its first patent covers a system that verifies <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/nft-trading-volume-down-63-since-december" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">NFT</a> ownership before allowing it to be displayed on a watch face, the second one covers a system where an NFT must be verified through a blockchain wallet before being displayed on a smartwatch, and the third focuses on the retrieval and display of customized watch faces based on NFT ownership.</p><p>It claimed TAG Heuer encouraged customers to infringe on the patents by providing instructions on how to use its NFT display features.</p><p>“The watch allows the NFT to be displayed if owned by the user’s crypto wallet [and] connects to a user’s crypto wallet to guarantee authenticity of works displayed,” the complaint explained. </p><p><em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/nfts-2024-worst-year-since-2020-dappradar" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>NFTs just had their worst performing year since 2020: DappRadar</strong></em></a></p><p>Watch Skins requested a jury trial and compensation for lost profits and royalties due to infringement and a court order preventing <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/lvmh-augmenting-humans-ai-not-replacing" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">LVMH</a> from further use of the patented technology.</p><p>The company <a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/now-watch-this-new-crypto-collectible-watch-faces-to-debut-at-ces-expo-in-las-vegas-883727710.html" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null">announced</a> the launch of the world’s first blockchain NFT watch face marketplace at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2020. </p><p>The mobile app gives consumers “the ability to purchase authentic, licensed smartwatch faces from their favorite brands,” Watch Skins stated at the time.</p><p>Cointelegraph has contacted LVMH for comment.</p><p><em><strong>Magazine: </strong></em><a data-ct-non-breakable="null" href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/china-memecoin-factory-hk-firm-dumps-bitcoin-asia-express/" rel="null" target="null" text="null" title="null"><em><strong>Mystery celeb memecoin scam factory, HK firm dumps Bitcoin: Asia Express</strong></em></a></p><template data-name="subscription_form" data-type="law_decoded" label="Subscription Form: Law Decoded"></template></p>
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https://cointelegraph.com/news/luxury-fa...er_inbound