In the wake of all patent infringement cases it’s impossible to keep track. Even more so if it involves Apple. One such case was regarding the new clock app in the iOS 6 update for iPads. This new app had a clock that closely resembles a famous Swiss Railway clock design. Back then we heard that Apple and SBB have come to a licensing agreement that will allow Apple to continue to use the Swiss Railway clock design and SBB will ignore it from there on.
It was never revealed what the terms of agreement were and how much was Apple going to pay SBB, if they were going to pay at all. Today the amount is unveiled. Apple has reportedly agreed to pay a lump sum of $21 million to SBB for rights to use the clock design on iOS 6 on the iPad.
$21 million sounds a lot for a simple clock design, especially when Apple could have just changed the design. But in the spirits of the overall aesthetics of the clock app Apple might have deemed the $21 million necessary. Not every day you see such sums being paid out for minor designs. But then again, you rarely ever see two companies reaching agreement amicably.