Controversy sparked when Apple was found to have copied the exact clock design that the Swiss Federal Railway service use at most of their train stations. The Swiss train clock, which was developed by a former employee in 1944, has since become the most expensive clock on the planet, for how much Apple are supposedly paying.
Apple began using the design on their iOS6 devices and it caused the Swiss Federal Railway to complain, saying Apple was using a replica of theirs. This isn’t the first time the famous clock had been used without permission, with the Museum of Modern Art in New York once using it on display without the railway owners consent.
A spokesperson said; “We’re rather proud that a brand as important as Apple is using our design,” back in September, but it seems the company still wants a good clump of money for Apple to keep honouring the railway service with their clock design.
This has been over for a while, with Apple and the Swiss railway company signing the deal a month ago for a closed amount, but AFP, a French news agency, has claimed they have found how much the sum of money was that Apple paid. Being the richest company in the world seems to have its upsides.
Coincidently, this seems to be Apple biggest patent purchase, apart from the LTE patents they gained when bringing out the iPhone 5. For a clock, it seems a little dismal, but it may serve a purpose.
The report is still in the stages of going from just a rumour to actual proof, we believe that while Apple won’t disclose the information, some railway official may let a few numbers slip his tongue. While we aren’t sure if the figures are correct, we suspect a few million was spent for the clock patents.