"Apple Accused of Stealing Clock Design for iPad"

Bahnhofsuhr Zuerich_RZ

For Apple, copying basic design elements is considered patent infringement. The United States jury could not agree more, penalizing Samsung to pay a billion dollars to Apple in a landmark patent battle that spanned in several countries.

But Apple may need to temper that claim. Apparently, Apple is being accused of ripping off the design for its new iPad clock app. Tages-Anzeiger, a German-language newspaper in Switzerland, alleges that the aforementioned clock looks exactly like the Swiss Federal Railway Clock (pictured), which was designed by Hans Hilfiker in 1944. Apparently, the company (known for its German acronym, SBB) owns the trademark and copyright to this clock’s design and has occasionally licensed it to watchmakers.

The report also states that SBB has contacted Apple to demand financial compensation. Apple has yet to comment on the matter.

Source: Tages-Anzeiger, via Forbes