The Swiss economy has been under considerable pressure for some time now due to the continuing strength of the Swiss franc and high US tariffs. This is making the position of Swiss companies in the global market more difficult. Under these circumstances, it’s important to apply the law in favour of businesses as much as possible. In regard to the United States, in particular, it’s becoming more important for certain Swiss industries to manufacture their products locally, which means that they no longer meet the Swissness criteria. Nevertheless, these companies have a legitimate interest in being able to refer to Swissness and the associated quality standards of the manufacturing steps that remain in Switzerland. Such referencing helps to strengthen Switzerland’s position as a centre of innovation in the long term.

 

This is already possible under existing law. However, the IPI has clarified its practice in this regard so that companies may now use the Swiss cross in such cases (e.g. with ‘SWISS RESEARCH’ or ‘SWISS ENGINEERING’) as long as it is not misunderstood as an indication of Swissness for the entire product. The Swiss cross is one of the most powerful symbols of Swissness and, as we all know, a picture paints a thousand words. Hence, the conditions for such use remain strict. The Swiss cross must be placed exactly between the two words (e.g. SWISS and ENGINEERING), and the length of the square must not exceed the size of the (uniformly sized) font.

 

This clarification of practice comes into force with immediate effect. It’s subject to any special provisions to the contrary, for example in industry ordinances.