SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Watch Skins Corporation confirmed today that it is preparing to file a substantially expanded amended complaint in its pending federal litigation involving TAG Heuer and entities associated with LVMH alleging willful patent infringement involving multiple United States patents, willful false advertising under the Lanham Act, marketplace confusion, executive-level public statements concerning technological primacy, and TAG Heuer’s commercialization and promotion of NFT-enabled smartwatch technology following prior exposure to Watch Skins’ technology, patent-related information, and blockchain-authenticated smartwatch NFT-display systems.
On May 11, 2026, Judge J. Rodney Gilstrap entered an order temporarily staying proceedings for 30 days to permit Watch Skins an opportunity to obtain substitute counsel. Watch Skins confirms that it is actively seeking replacement litigation counsel in connection with the pending federal action.
The proposed amended complaint identifies Frédéric Arnault — current Chief Executive Officer of Loro Piana, former head of LVMH Watches, and a member of the LVMH Board of Directors — based on his previous role as Chief Executive Officer of TAG Heuer, where he led and promoted TAG Heuer’s NFT smartwatch initiative during the height of the Web3 market.
According to Watch Skins, TAG Heuer Vice President of Engineering Thomas Vial directly contacted the company through LinkedIn in June 2021 after becoming aware of Watch Skins’ NFT smartwatch technology and requested discussions regarding what services Watch Skins “could offer for a brand like TAG Heuer.”
Watch Skins further states that, on June 21, 2021, TAG Heuer engineering and smartwatch personnel participated in a Microsoft Teams meeting with Watch Skins and discussed NFT-enabled smartwatch functionality, wearable NFT display systems, and possible collaboration between the companies.
According to Watch Skins, those discussions included references to:
Approximately one year later, TAG Heuer publicly launched NFT-display functionality for the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch and promoted the rollout through a series of public statements emphasizing technological primacy and exclusivity in the category.
TAG Heuer launch materials publicly stated:
“For the first time, use your watch to display your highly collectible virtual artworks on your wrist with verified proof of ownership.”
In an interview published on the day of TAG Heuer’s June 2022 NFT smartwatch launch, Frédéric Arnault publicly stated:
“We’re gonna launch the first and best NFT viewer on a connected watch.”
Additional public statements attributed to Mr. Arnault included:
“That is how we developed the NFT viewer on our Connected watch, which is the only one that can do this.”
Watch Skins contends that these statements, viewed together and in context, publicly positioned TAG Heuer as the first, leading, and exclusive provider of wallet-connected NFT smartwatch display functionality despite TAG Heuer’s prior exposure to Watch Skins’ technology, patent-related communications, demonstrations, and wearable NFT infrastructure.
According to Watch Skins, TAG Heuer personnel had already:
- engaged directly with Watch Skins concerning the technology,
- received patent-related information, including information concerning Watch Skins’ patent applications and allowances,
- been exposed to Watch Skins’ publicly demonstrated concept for smartwatch-based NFT display functionality,
- and received multiple communications relating to intellectual-property rights surrounding NFT-enabled wearable systems.
The proposed amended complaint further alleges that TAG Heuer’s NFT smartwatch rollout evolved into a broader executive-led Web3 commercialization initiative under Frédéric Arnault’s leadership through:
- launch events,
- executive interviews,
- social-media promotion,
- NFT-focused media campaigns,
- and direct engagement with NFT collector communities, including Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Watch Skins states that these facts are significant because the proposed amended complaint concerns executive-level product messaging, commercialization decisions, and intellectual-property concerns involving an executive who has since become a member of the LVMH Board of Directors, a role that places the alleged conduct within a broader governance, accountability, and leadership-succession context inside the LVMH group.
Watch Skins further states that the conduct described in the proposed amended complaint raises serious questions in light of LVMH’s published Code of Conduct, which describes intellectual property as a critical asset of the Group and states that employees are expected to protect and respect intellectual property rights, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, designs, confidential know-how, and third-party intellectual property rights. Watch Skins further states that the Code emphasizes the protection of proprietary information, the prevention of misuse or misappropriation, and the expectation that potential violations, non-compliances, or concerns are identified, addressed, corrected, and remedied when they arise. Watch Skins further states that the Code identifies a governance structure under which Maison Presidents are expected to ensure that the Code’s principles are disseminated and properly applied within their respective organizations.
Watch Skins believes that the Code matters because this is not merely a downstream technical dispute. It involves executive-level product messaging, alleged use and promotion of technology after prior exposure, and the handling of IP concerns under LVMH leadership.
Watch Skins additionally confirmed that it intends to raise issues concerning prior prospective-client communications involving defense counsel Fish & Richardson. According to Watch Skins, over seven days the company engaged in prospective-client discussions with Fish & Richardson concerning this same dispute before the firm later appeared as counsel for LVMH related defendants in the pending litigation.
Watch Skins states that, during those discussions, and after being informed that no conflict had then been identified, the company provided non-public, confidential and potentially harmful materials and information concerning the dispute. According to Watch Skins, Fish & Richardson later advised that the matter had been forwarded internally for contingency-fee evaluation before the firm subsequently stated that a conflict existed and declined representation.
Watch Skins further states that it never provided written consent or waiver permitting Fish & Richardson to represent parties adverse to Watch Skins in the dispute. Watch Skins also states that no contemporaneous ethical screen or similar protective measure was disclosed to or discussed with Watch Skins during the prospective-client discussions, and that Watch Skins first became aware of references to any purported screen seven months later, after Fish & Richardson had already appeared on behalf of LVMH-related defendants in the litigation.
Watch Skins states that it intends to address those issues through appropriate legal channels and notes that no court has made findings concerning the issues described above.
Watch Skins states that, taken together, the alleged TAG Heuer chronology, the executive-level public statements, the intellectual-property concerns, and the unresolved conflict-related issues warrant scrutiny through appropriate legal channels.
LVMH and TAG Heuer deny liability, and no court has ruled on the allegations, proposed amended claims, or conflict-related issues described above.
This is about what TAG Heuer knew and when it knew it,” said Collin Knock, founder of Watch Skins. “TAG Heuer had prior exposure to Watch Skins’ smartwatch NFT-display technology, which Watch Skins had publicly demonstrated at CES more than two years before TAG Heuer positioned its own NFT smartwatch feature as first, best, and exclusive. For a small company, that kind of market positioning can erase years of work, investment, recognition, and momentum. We believe these facts deserve to be tested in court.”
Watch Skins stated that public visibility is important because the company is actively seeking substitute litigation counsel during the Court’s 30-day stay and believes qualified firms should be aware of the factual chronology, prior TAG Heuer interactions, executive-level public statements, and legal issues expected to be raised through appropriate amended pleadings.
Watch Skins is continuing outreach to firms capable of handling complex patent, false advertising, and high-stakes commercial litigation matters, and welcomes inquiries from qualified firms.
About Watch Skins Corporation
Watch Skins Corporation is a wearable technology and digital infrastructure company focused on authenticated digital experiences across smartwatches, mobile devices, AR/VR environments, and next-generation wearable interfaces. The company’s patent portfolio covers blockchain-authenticated display systems, cross-device digital identity infrastructure, tokenized engagement and reward mechanisms, and wearable-based digital content verification. Watch Skins’ technology vision extends beyond smartwatch applications into broader immersive and spatial-computing ecosystems, including advertising, loyalty, gaming, digital collectibles, brand engagement, and interoperable wearable experiences for major consumer technology platforms.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9fb8ac51-f4c8-4431-bf1c-f09219669e4f
