iOS 6’s iPad clock design looks very similar to the clock design owned by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). The problem being that Apple never asked to use the design. In late September, the SBB made headlines all over the Internet stating that they would be getting together with Apple to discuss the matters.
It’s not too often that Apple is on the cruddy end of the stick. Apple is usually the one that goes after other companies for using their designs and then demands large sums of money in compensation. In the less-common instances that Apple actually is the one being sued, Apple usually has a dirty habit of slipping out of the situation unscathed. What’s interesting about this case is that Apple isn’t being sued in court, instead the SBB only wanted to negotiate.
Today, the SBB announces that both parties have agreed to licensing terms one-on-one and agreements have been signed. Apple will now pay the SBB to use the design, although The Verge reports that neither Apple nor the SBB have made public what amount of money Apple needs to shell out:
Originally Posted by SBB:
For the use of the SBB station clock on devices like iPad and iPhone, the Swiss Federal Railways SBB and Apple have agreed and signed a license agreement.
The adoption of the design is not a bad thing; the Clock application on the iPad running iOS 6 looks great. It's sleek and offers a lot of detail, which Apple is known for. At is appears, the clock design on the iPad running iOS 6 won’t be going anywhere. Now if only Apple could give the iPhone and iPod touch the same gorgeous clock design treatment…For the use of the SBB station clock on devices like iPad and iPhone, the Swiss Federal Railways SBB and Apple have agreed and signed a license agreement.
Sources: SBB (translated) via The Verge
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