Apple agrees to license SBB’s Swiss railway clock
Last month, it was found out that Apple had stolen the design of Swiss railway operator SBB’s iconic clock, which is also used by the legendary watchmaker Mondaine.. The screenshot above shows just how similar iOS 6’s clock is to SBB’s clock.
Naturally, the SBB was upset that Apple took its design – and that it didn’t even ask for permission to do such a thing – so it went after Apple to form an amicable agreement, perhaps based on licensing fees. And today, that’s exactly what happened.
The SBB wrote in a (translated) blog post that it and Apple have agreed on a licensing deal. This solution allows Apple to continue using the clock face in its software while giving the SBB a bit of compensation.
The Swiss Federal Railways SBB and Apple have reached an agreement on the use of the SBB station clock on devices like iPad and iPhone. That the two parties have governed in a license agreement.
Apple may not be above stealing others’ ideas, but at least it is willing to take part in licensing agreements when it does.
[SBB (translated) via The Verge]
