The Federal Railways clock appeared on Apple mobile devices with the release of the previous operating system in September 2012
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The iconic Swiss Federal Railways clock is no longer featured in the new Apple operating system i0S7 or on the US computer company’s newest iPad and iPhone devices, presented to the public on Tuesday.
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swissinfo.ch and agencies
The clock was the subject of a patent dispute which the railways settled with Apple in October 2012 for a widely reported but unofficial sum of CHF20 million ($21.5 million). Details of the arrangement remained otherwise confidential.
Apple had used the Swiss station clock design without permission for its mobile operating system iOS6, released in September last year.
At the time, the railways had said it was happy that the computer firm had adopted the clock, confirming its design status, but could not ignore the illegal usage. As the owner of the clock’s trademark and copyrights, the transport company promised to take legal action.
The railway clock was created in 1944 by Swiss electrical engineer and designer Hans Hilfiker. The red second hand is in the shape of the disc which controllers previously used to signal to train drivers that they could leave.
The clock was lauded by the Design Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York as an example of outstanding 20th-Century design.
Swiss watchmaker Mondaine has been licensed to make wall clocks, desk models and wristwatches based on the design since 1986.
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Apple takes a bite of Swiss rail design
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“On the one hand we’re happy that Apple adopted the Swiss railway clock. It just goes to show that it is truly a design piece,” railways spokesman Christian Ginsig told the German-language Blick am Abend newspaper on Thursday. However, he pointed out that Apple’s use of the design was unauthorised. As the owner of the…
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“The parties have agreed that the amount of the licensing fee and any further details on the licencing arrangement will remain confidential,” said railway spokeswoman Lea Meyer in a statement published on the company’s website on Friday. The railway clock was created in 1944 by Swiss electrical engineer and designer Hans Hilfiker. The red second…
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The amount of the settlement was widely reported, following a Swiss newspaper report citing undisclosed sources. “We also got the figure from the Tages-Anzeiger article,” Federal Railways told swissinfo.ch. The settlement was reached in talks held between Apple and the Federal Railways in October, following the appearance of the clock face as part of the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.