TIMEX SUES, STOPS LOOKALIKE WATCH SALES

A federal judge has ordered M.Z. Berger & Co. of Long Island City, N.Y., to stop offering a watch that Timex Corp. of Middlebury, Conn., named in a design infringement lawsuit.

Timex sued Berger, alleging that its Wilson brand Glowatch infringed on the design patents and trade dress of the Timex Expedition watch. U.S. District Court Judge Peter Dorsey ordered Berger to stop manufacturing, advertising and selling the watch.

The watch in question (pictured) appears similar to the Timex watch but lacks many of its features, including water resistance to 330 ft., 24-hour chronograph and countdown timer. Berger had the watches made by Universe Watch Trading Co. of Hong Kong. The company immediately complied with the judge’s order.

“We are pleased by the results and plan to rely on our in-house legal staff in pursuing actions against any infring-ers in the future,” says Frank A. Sherer Jr., general counsel for Timex.