There was quite a fiasco last year involving Swatch watches. In May 2023, the popular brand launched its ‘Pride Collection’ worldwide, but unfortunately for its Malaysian branch, the rainbow products were seized by the Malaysian Home Ministry. Officers were seen raiding several stores, including outlets at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, 1 Utama, Sunway Pyramid, and Mid Valley Megamall.
The reason for the seizure was that the collection featured designs incorporating elements of the rainbow flag, a symbol associated with the LGBTQ+ community. Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek Jr. responded to the seizure by filing a lawsuit at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur. After more than a year, we finally have an update on the case.
According to several reports, the Kuala Lumpur High Court has ordered the Home Ministry to return 172 watches from the Swatch ‘Pride Collection’ to the company within 14 days. Judge Datuk Amarjeet Singh revealed that the seizure of the items and raiding of Swatch outlets around Malaysia were done illegally and that the ministry acted unlawfully in doing so.
“The search was made without a warrant and is illegal. Therefore, any seizures made as stated in notices of seizure is illegal,” he told reporters. As for the ban on the Swatch ‘Pride Collection’, the judge clarified that the prohibition came after the items were seized, thus, making the seizure illegal, as the Swiss company had not broken any law prior to the raid. However, since the ban was imposed, this means the brand can no longer resell the rainbow-themed collection to Malaysian consumers.
The Swiss company had previously requested RM64,795 in damages, but Judge Amarjeet denied it, noting that the company may seek damages later if it turned out that the watches had been broken during the seizure. As for how Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution responded to the recent news, he told reporters that the ministry would respect the court’s decision and that he would study the report on the judgment before deciding on the government’s next move.
Sources: TheStar, TheVibes, StraitsTimes, CNA
