Swiss coat of arms no longer allowed on national team jerseys

While the current Coat of Arms protection law from 2017 only allows the authorities to use the coats of arms, there can be exceptions to this rule. SIHF tried to obtain such an exceptional license in 2021, but the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) did not grant it. The dispute between the IPI and SIHF has now been decided by the Federal Administrative Court, which argues that the SIHF had submitted the formal application for a license too late as the deadline was in 2018.

In addition, the tradition of using the emblem by the hockey teams would most likely not have been long enough. The condition for exceptional continued use was at least 30-year tradition, however the hockey national teams have only added the coat of arms to their jerseys in 2015. 

SIHF now has the options to appeal today's decision at the Federal Supreme Court or to change their team uniforms. The use of the Swiss flag (white cross on red square) by national sports teams is allowed and common.