Somedia wins trademark dispute with Schawinski over Radio Grischa
The Graubünden-based media company Somedia says it has won a trademark dispute over the «Radio Grischa» brand at the Commercial Court in Zurich. Somedia had disputed the trademark with the new Radio Alpin, which is run by media entrepreneur Roger Schawinski.
"The initiators of Radio Alpin, Schawinski and Stefan Bühler, had tried in vain to persuade the Zurich Commercial Court to prohibit Somedia from using the 'Radio Grischa' brand," Somedia announced on Friday. However, the court rejected all applications.
Radio Grischa went on air in 1988, but was renamed Radio Südostschweiz RSO in 2015. "With this renaming, the name Radio Grischa disappeared from the public eye," argued Schawinski and his business partner, as they explain on the Radio Alpin website. If a trademark is not used commercially for at least five years, it is no longer protected under Swiss law.
With the planned launch of Radio Alpin at the beginning of 2025, Schawinski and Bühler wanted to revive the "extremely popular name Radio Grischa" and give the new station this name.
"Brand continues to be used"
Somedia, on the other hand, emphasized that "the Radio Grischa brand with the iconic ibex" is still being used and continues to be offered as an internet radio station by various streaming service providers, for example. The commercial court has now recognized that Somedia never abandoned the Radio Grischa brand, Somedia wrote.
At the beginning of the year, the Graubünden-based broadcaster Radio Südostschweiz lost its license for 2025 after 35 years when the Federal Office of Communications awarded radio licenses. Schawinski had been awarded the license with an application under the name Radio Alpin.
Schawinski denies defeat
It is not true that the trademark dispute over Radio Grischa was decided in favor of Somedia, Schawinski and Bühler contradicted in a statement on the same day. The only issue before the Zurich Commercial Court was the use of the company name Radio Grischa, which Somedia can now continue to use.
"However, it is the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) and not the Commercial Court that decides on the use of the Radio Grischa trademark. The proceedings before the IPI are still pending," wrote Schawinski and Bühler.
"We founded our company under the name Radio Alpin Grischa AG some time ago and had it entered in the commercial register. We are sticking to the Radio Grischa brand for our station," emphasize the radio producers. (SDA)
