Apple Reaches Licensing Deal With Swiss Railway Over iPad Clock Design

Swiss Railway operator SBB said on Friday that it has reached a deal with Apple to license its iconic clock design.

“For the use of the clockface on certain Apple devices such as iPads and iPhones, the parties have negotiated an arrangement that enables Apple to use the SBB station clock under a licence agreement,” SBB said in a statement. “The parties have agreed that the amount of the licensing fee and any further details of the licensing arrangement will remain confidential.”

The rail authority had earlier complained that Apple was using its signature timepiece without permission in the iPad’s new clock app.

The clock is the design of Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker, with licensed versions selling for hundreds of dollars.