Federal Administrative Court Ice hockey federation must fight for use of the Swiss coat of arms

The Federal Administrative Court has to deal with the Swiss coat of arms on the national ice hockey team's jerseys. The Swiss Ice Hockey Federation had to submit an application for the use of the coat of arms in accordance with the Coat of Arms Protection Act. This was done too late.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) is acting as the opponent of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation in this game. It is of the opinion that the federation submitted its application for the use of the Swiss coat of arms on the jerseys of the ice hockey team too late.

In principle, only the Swiss Confederation has been permitted to use the coat of arms since the revised Coat of Arms Protection Act came into force in 2017. However, companies and clubs had the opportunity to apply for permission for continued use within two years - if they had been using the coat of arms for 30 years.

The Federal Administrative Court will hold a public hearing on 20 August to discuss whether the association submitted the application on time before the end of 2018.

In constant exchange

As can be seen from the facts published on Wednesday, the federation submitted an application in June 2018 to be allowed to use the coat of arms until May 2019. It remained in contact with the authorities until it submitted a new application in October 2021.

The IPI did not respond because it was of the opinion that the deadline had long since passed. The association, on the other hand, took the view that the deadline had been submitted on time, taking into account all the circumstances. It had a legitimate interest in the continued use of the coat of arms.