Swiss railway company, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has claimed Apple Inc. used the design of its station clocks in an iPad clock app redesign without its consent on Friday.
The design, which includes a round face with black indicators and a red second hand, has been used by the railway company since 1944. According to Reto Kormann, a spokesman for SBB, the design used by Apple is "identical" to the company's original design.
The clock is included in Apple's newest operating system, the iOS 6, however, it's only viewable on the iPad, not on the iPhone 5.
Kormann spoke told the Associated Press, "We are proud that this icon of clock design is being used by a globally successful company."
He added, however, that Apple had failed to ask for its permission to use the design.
According to ABC News, Kormann said, "We've approached Apple and told them that the rights for this clock belong to us."
The spokesman also told Bloomberg, "The money isn't in the front of our interests because we are proud that Apple took an SBB design. If we have a cooperation agreement between two good brands, that's a win-win."
Bloomberg noted that the company has, in the past, allowed its design to be used by Mondaine Group, which has held the design license since 1986. The watchmaking company told Reuters is also plans to challenge Apple over the design.
According to ABC News, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has its own lawsuits over patent and design claims against rival company Samsung Electronics. It won a $1.05 billion suit against Samsung in a U.S. patent case last month.
Apple's public relations offices in Germany and Switzerland didn't respond to repeated calls and emails requesting comment.
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