Swiss Army Logo
Trademark: Swiss Army Logo
First Used: December 1974
First Registered: March 1998
Current Owner: VICTORINOX AG (Swiss Army Brand) [1]
Trademark Type: traditional trademark; design mark
Primarily Associated With: multi-blade pocket knives [2]
Also A Trademark For: pen and pencil sets [3]; luggage [4]; watches [5]; kitchen utensils [6]; clothing [7]; computer interface devices [8]; and flashlights [9], among others.
Brief (and likely incomplete) History [10]:
The Swiss Army Logo was first adopted by Victorinox internationally in 1909, and in the US in 1974. At that time, Karl Elsener, the founder of Victorinox and the Swiss Army brand, introduced the emblem to differentiate his knives from those of competitors and to emphasize their Swiss origin and quality.
The Swiss Army Logo features a cross within a shield (typically a white cross on a red shield). The typically white cross against a red background, reminiscent of the Swiss national flag, represents the knives' origin in Switzerland and their role as an essential tool for the Swiss Army. The shield was intended to reflect the symbolism of protection, reliability, and strength—qualities that are central to both the product and its origins. Of course, historically shields are emblems of defense and security, and incorporating this shape in the logo aligns with the Swiss Army Knife's role as a trusted tool for soldiers and civilians alike: any product with the Swiss Army Logo provides a dependable defense, whether for survival in the field or for everyday tasks.
Interested in learning more about the Swiss Army brand? Check out our posts on the Swiss Army word mark and the Swiss Army Red color trademark!
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[1] Victorinox, https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/.
[2] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 2,141,140, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75295958&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[3] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 2,141,124, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75292959&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[4] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 2,362,608, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75293046&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[5] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 2,142,891, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=75295960&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[6] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 3,107,153, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76269860&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[7] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 3,036,388, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=76977824&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[8] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 3,353,519, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78670317&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[9] USPTO, U.S. trademark registration no. 3,428,307, available at https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=78730752&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch.
[10] Our History, VICTORINOX, available at https://www.victorinox.com/en-US/All-about-Victorinox/History/cms/history/; Swiss Army Knife History and Facts, ALPENWILD, available at https://www.alpenwild.com/staticpage/swiss-army-knife-history-and-facts/; Victorinox Swiss Army Knives, COUNTRY KNIVES, available at https://www.countryknives.com/brand-history/victorinox-swiss-army-knives/.