Zermatt – Matterhorn defends its trademark

"Zermatt and Matterhorn are strong brands and we are determined that they should stay that way," said Daniel Luggen, President of Zermatt Tourismus. He has noticed that particularly guests from overseas have a strong affinity to the brand. "Because the brand is so well known, visiting the Matterhorn is on everyone's list of must-sees in Switzerland." Behind the scenes, there has been years of communication and sales work with overseas markets, as he went on to explain.

To protect their brand, Zermatt Tourismus has registered both the logo and the word "Matterhorn" as official trademarks. This means that the word cannot be used to denote other products. The ® on the Zermatt – Matterhorn logo will now make it immediately clear that it is a registered trademark, and willl help the destination to enforce its trademark rights. A recently concluded court case also showed that the destination is defending their trademark as well as protecting it.

Over the last two years, Zermatt Tourismus has been involved in legal proceedings in the Valais cantonal court, initiated against other tourism brands that use the word "Matterhorn". As part of a court settlement, Zermatt Tourismus has successfully ensured that the opposing parties will withdraw all affected brands. The opposing parties also issued a statement confirming that they will no longer register or use the words Zermatt, Matterhorn, Cervino and Cervino as part of their branding. This is a key success which will further strengthen the Matterhorn brand.