Future of the company in jeopardy: smart things defends its trademark rights against Samsung

Wesling, Starnberg (findit) August 24, 2016 - smart things solutions GmbH, in Wessling near Munich, is defending its "smart things" brand against Samsung Electronics GmbH in a trademark dispute. The products from the smart things brand are used globally for home automation solutions based on the Apple iPad, among others. As Samsung Electronics registered the "Samsung SmartThings" brand for the EU at a later time and this has led to confusion, smart things filed an injunction against Samsung Deutschland. The hearing is scheduled for 10 November 2016 before the Higher Regional Court of Dusseldorf, Germany.



smart things has been selling accessories for Apple products since 2012 under the smart things EU brand. Wall-mounted holders and flush-mounted power supplies for all Apple iPad models form the nucleus of the smart things range of products. These items are used globally as control centers for home automation solutions. The smart things Energy Meter for measuring and analyzing power consumption supplements the product offerings for building automation, an area that will be further expanded in the future.

Thomas Detemple, managing director of smart things, says, "Samsung using the brand name has been a catastrophe for us. The overlap of content with the "SmartThings" platform for home automation advertised by Samsung has already caused our clients to ask us about the use of the brand name by Samsung. We held negotiations with Samsung representatives to avoid additional confusion in the marketplace. When these negotiations did not result in a solution, we initiated legal proceedings."

In return, Samsung Electronics Deutschland applied for the cancellation of the EU brand of smart things. Thomas Detemple continued, "At this juncture, I wonder just what a trademark registration is worth if a brand name can be simply used by a large company and we, as small and midsize businesses, must go to court to keep the essence of our business. The name of our company says it all and we have put a lot of energy into building the trademark. smart things strives to develop innovative products with a high standard of functionality and design. Consequently, the trademark is essential for us. If we would have to rename the company now, we would encounter a lot of expense and this would essentially mean the end of our company."

smart things solutions GmbH is part of the TQ Group, a group of technology companies with a total of almost 1400 employees and 13 locations in Germany, Switzerland and China.

If you wish to arrange an interview with Thomas Detemple, managing director of smart things solutions GmbH, at the IFA Berlin, please contact petra.zimmermann@tq-group.com.

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