Swiss national train operator SBB announced Friday that it is to meet with Apple representatives after the tech giant used its famous clock design without permission on a new application for the iPad and iPhone.
“There’s been no agreement so far, we’re going to talk about it,” SBB press spokeswoman Patricia Claivaz told AFP, adding that the rail firm’s lawyers had requested the meeting.
Claivaz dismissed reports that the rail company was intent on demanding financial compensation from Apple as “speculation”, adding that SBB did not intend to “upset them by asking for money”.
The railway spokesperson said that SBB was proud that its Swiss-designed station clock face had been chosen “for 80 million iPads” after realizing that the iPad apparently reproduced the SBB clock design on one of its new apps iOS 6.
“We’re rather proud that a brand as important as Apple is using our design, it’s already on show in exhibitions in places like New York,” said Claivaz.
The clock, which was designed in 1944 by Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker, and remains the property of SBB.
The meeting date and time has not yet been set. The spokesperson said it could take place “in coming days or weeks”, as Claivaz joked that it would indeed happen since Apple “was in Zurich and we are in Bern,” cities that are just over an hour’s drive from each other.
