Apple pays up for stealing design from Swiss Railways

[bigboss]

Apple, sensitive about protecting its own designs, has struck a deal to use Swiss railway operator SBB's trademark station clock design on iPads and iPhones.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/12/apple_licenses_swiss_clock/

 

[Paul.]

Funny that, someone asked them for money and they paid up without going to court... If only apple had some standards essential clock patents to fight them off with 😛

 

[bigboss]

I'm sure Apple would be well versed with patent law after all those battles......& knew it would lose if challenged in court. So it would have readily taken up the offer of out of court settlement for this one. 😉

 

[bigboss]

Besides, imagine all the tabloid headlines accusing Apple of hypocrisy if the case had indeed gone to court. 🙂

I don't think Apple would want any more negative publicity in the run up to Christmas, after the maps fiasco.

 

[chebby]

Funny that, someone asked them for money and they paid up without going to court...

You don't mess with the Swiss.

 

[ID.]

While there are big cases that get a lot of exposure, just try to imagine the numbers of people threatening cases. I think that since the iPod/iPod touch and iPhone became massive hits every man and his dog who has a patent for a process, etc. like those used in those products has been hitting Apple up for a payout, usually demanding huge sums far in excess of the value of the patent because the patentholder thinks he has hit paydirt.
Edited by mods

 

[The_Lhc]

Funny that, someone asked them for money and they paid up without going to court... If only apple had some standards essential clock patents to fight them off with 😛

Except this one isn't a patent question. It's also a very clear case of copying rather than the sort of vague cases that are typical of most of the ongoing patent disputes, "Gah! Your phone has CORNERS! And a SCREEN! and some of them are WHITE! SEE YOU IN COURT!!!!"

 

[bigboss]

Funny that, someone asked them for money and they paid up without going to court... If only apple had some standards essential clock patents to fight them off with 😛

Except this one isn't a patent question. It's also a very clear case of copying rather than the sort of vague cases that are typical of most of the ongoing patent disputes, "Gah! Your phone has CORNERS! And a SCREEN! and some of them are WHITE! SEE YOU IN COURT!!!!"

 

[Andrew Everard]

Just Apple playing the long game while its lawyers prepare their case against the Swiss for IP theft regarding time itself, which of course Steve invented – or at least copied from the watch of someone he once met at a party (which is the same thing as invention in Applelore)

 

[The_Lhc]

Applelore

I live near there! Oh, sorry, I mean Appledore, no, wait, I meant <Name temporarily banned pending outcome of lawsuit>dore...

 

[chebby]

Just Apple playing the long game while its lawyers prepare their case against the Swiss for IP theft regarding time itself, which of course Steve invented – or at least copied from the watch of someone he once met at a party (which is the same thing as invention in Applelore)

Well, Bill Gates had already invented the computer, the internet and binary, so Jobs' hagiographers need something (apart from inventing the mouse and telephony and music) to accredit to him.

 

[Anonymous]

That's an interesting turn of events, one would think a company so protective of their own designs wouldn't stoop so low as stealing others ideas. It's good to know they're paying for their mistake though. To be honest I don't really care abut the designs Apple is using, as long as there aren't privacy concerns regarding their usage I'm happy to use them.

 

[d4v3pum4]

Why do people think that Apple copying anyone else is new?

http://www.ted.com/talks/kirby_ferguson_embrace_the_remix.html

 

[bigboss]

I don't think anyone has suggested that! Apple has, over the years, copied from others.