Apple settle out of court with Swiss Rail over iconic clock design

You want to use an iconic Swiss design from the 50’s that is still in use today for your globally dominating phone..so you call up legal and get them to check the design rights owner is ok. Maybe a license deal?…or err..what the hell..just use it anyhow without any of that pesky trademark or copyright paperwork nonsence…like…maybe no one will notice in a country obsessed by clocks and rich enough to equip newborns with iPhone 5’s.

The Swiss, famous for time keeping, finance and chocolate surprisingly did notice that Apple had started to use their national railways clock design on the new iPhone OS and have now settled for a $21M payment to allow Apple to use the clock design.

See the…similarities between the Swiss National Railways clock design and Apple’s below.

 

Daily Mail coverage here  and a little bio on the designer Hans Hilfiker who apparently also standardized the size of Swiss white goods!