Apple To Meet With Swiss Railway Over Clock Design Dispute

A few days ago, the Swiss Federal Railway service (SBB) accused Apple of copying one of its iconic clock designs that shows up in the Clock app in iOS 6. Today, the two companies announced that they will be meeting with one another to settle the dispute, and apparently there's no intention of suing for money.

The iconic Swiss clock, which was designed in 1944 by former SBB employee Hans Hilfiker, looks almost identical to Apple's version with the same black dashes and the big red dot at the end of the second hand. The design happens to be licensed to a Swiss watch company called Mondaine. So essentially, Apple could be easily found guilty of infringement.

However, Apple and the SBB have decided to settle this one like gentlemen. Representatives from both sides are expected to meet sometime within the next couple of weeks (or even months) to talk about the situation and hopefully come to a conclusion that both sides agree on. Plus, the SBB has stated that its proud that its clock had been chosen for iOS 6.

This comes right after Apple accused Samsung of copyright infringement and won in court to the tune of $1.05 billion. Apple saw themselves as the good guys, while Samsung (the bad guys) was wrongfully copying the designs of the iPhone and iPad. Now, Apple is the one being accused of copying something. Oh how the tables have turned.

[via CNET]