"Lex On" is to be reversed: The Council of State is against the Schuhkonzern being allowed to use the Swiss cross.

"Lex On" should be reversed: The Council of States is against the Schuh company being allowed to use the Swiss cross Since March, the Swiss cross is allowed to decorate products that were not manufactured in Switzerland. This is to change again. There was a time when On shoes were considered very Swiss. They were in a way part of the Swiss clothing culture, often combined with short-sleeved shirts and "T-shirts". As proof, the Swiss cross was displayed on some models. Since then, a lot has happened: in 2019, a sportsman like Roger Federer joined On, who is Swiss but above all a world citizen. In 2020, former American wrestler and current actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wore On shoes at the Super Bowl – and brought the brand to the world. A week ago, the company announced that the French star footballer Kylian Mbappé would now wear On football shoes. The brand is reaching out internationally. Nationally, it feels attacked repeatedly. The Council of States meeting on Thursday likely reinforced this feeling. The small chamber has decided that On is only allowed to place the Swiss cross on products manufactured in Switzerland in the future. Legal Fuss On had fought this regulation with all means for years – and it was simply ignored abroad. The company was repeatedly urged by the Swissness Enforcement organization, a public-private partnership of economic associations and the Federal Institute for Intellectual Property (IGE). On argued, among other things, that research, ideas, and designs came from Zurich. Furthermore, they added the Swiss cross with the note "Swiss Engineering", arguing thus not that the shoes were produced in Switzerland. This led to a legal tussle, and at one point, a lawsuit was even threatened in China. But in March of this year, On seemed to have prevailed. The IGE surprisingly adjusted its guidelines. Since then, the Swiss cross is also allowed for indications such as "Swiss Design" or "Swiss Engineering" – even if the product was fully manufactured abroad. This was not well received everywhere; there were fears of special treatment, with talk of a "Lex On". The Ticino Mitte member of the Council of States, Fabio Regazzi, was also annoyed and submitted a motion. The title: "Swiss cross only for products manufactured in Switzerland". The core issue was to overturn the decision of the IGE. The matter was discussed in the Council of States on Thursday afternoon. Jans promises a report Regazzi initially said that the IGE decision weakens the "value of the Swiss cross". "Secondly, the new practice creates incentives to move production abroad and to forgo the use of Swissness." Regazzi's party colleague Isabelle Chassot explained with figures: For "typically Swiss products and agricultural natural products," according to studies from the universities in Zurich and St. Gallen, prices could be demanded "5 to 20 percent" higher, "up to 50 percent" for luxury goods. The message: the Swiss cross as a quality mark should be protected. The parliamentarians did not mention the brand name in any syllable. Apparently, they wanted to avoid confrontation with On, one of the largest companies in the recent history of the Swiss economy. The Federal Minister of Justice Beat Jans also did not mention the company name. Nevertheless, he tried to defend the IGE's rule change. He said that Switzerland is "more than a production location". "It is a center for research and development." Furthermore, "Swissness" was last defined five years ago. "Since then, the economic conditions have changed considerably." Finally, he recommended that the Council of States wait and see. The Federal Council has commissioned an analysis to examine the effects of the new rules on the Swissness label. "The Federal Council will only decide after this analysis whether and how Swissness should be adapted." The Council of States did not want to wait. It voted in favor of Regazzi's motion with 32 to 5 votes.