Swatch Sues Malaysia for Confiscating Pride Collection — Retail Bum

Swiss watchmaker Swatch is taking the Malaysian government to court for confiscating watches that were part of its Pride collection.

The lawsuit comes two months after Malaysian authorities confiscated rainbow-colored watches due to the presence of the words “LGBTQ” on them, potentially breaching the country’s law.

Swatch, however, argues that the act caused damage to its brand reputation and that its sale was not a violation of the country’s laws.

“Without a doubt, the seized watches did not and are not in any way capable of causing any disruption to public order or morality or any violations of the law,” Swatch said in the lawsuit. Swatch added that its “business and trading figures also suffered in the immediate aftermath of the seizure for some time.”

The company also noted that the 172 seized watches, which have a combined value of $14,250, did not have “LGBTQ” lettering inscribed on them.

In its lawsuit, Swatch is asking for damages and is asking the authorities to return the seized merchandise, adding that the incident has “greatly jeopardized” its ability to conduct business in the country.

The case is expected to be heard by the Kuala Lumpur high court on July 20.

Swatch’s lawsuit comes at a time of growing intolerance against the LGBTQ community in the Muslim-majority country, which has recently jailed or canned people for homosexuality. Just last year, authorities detained 18 people at a Halloween party that was attended by people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community.

Photo credit: Swatch

Originally published at https://retailbum.com on July 18, 2023.