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Did you know that clock face design could be trademarked or copyrighted? I sure didn't, and apparently Apple didn't either. Especially since it's being used everywhere. We still don’t know if it was trademarked. This may be but a simple courtesy on Apples part instead of going to court over it.

Exactly this.

Seems like an honest error. When called on it, Apple did the right thing and paid the money they owed.

This is how the system is supposed to work.
 
So much for apple's ******** about being inventive and creative... they can't even design their own clock..

What SBB should have done is taken apple to court, sued them for trademark and copyright infringement then sought to have all of apple's products that are in violation banned from EU.

You mean like Rolex did with Samsung?


Rollei – Swiss watch battle
Samsung Techwin acquired a German camera-maker Rollei on 1995. Samsung (Rollei) used its optic expertise on the crystals of a new line of 100% Swiss-made watches, designed by a team of watchmakers at Nouvelle Piquerez S.A. in Bassequort, Switzerland. Rolex's decision to fight Rollei on every front stemmed from the close resemblance between the two names and fears that its sales would suffer as a consequence. In the face of such a threat, the Geneva firm decided to confront. This was also a demonstration of the Swiss watch industry's determination to defend itself when an established brand is threatened. Rolex sees this front-line battle as vital for the entire Swiss watch industry. Rolex has succeeded in keeping Rollei out of the German market. On 11 March 1995 the Cologne District court prohibited the advertising and sale of Rollei watches on German territory.[44][45]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung_Advanced_Institute_of_Technology

The swiss take their time seriously! :)
 
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I agree, the thing with minimalist design and stripping away everything down to pure essentials is you are bound to almost always come to the same conclusion

This is incorrect. As evidence, I present the endless variety of minimalist design from the 20th Century.

Also, it is very difficult to determine what is essential and what can be removed. (Why did they leave the small tick marks? Why did they need a second hand? Why red? Why is there a circle on the end?)

EDIT: And this clock isn't minimalist at all.
 
Yeah I could have done those silly Jackson Pollock splashy drippy paintings, so basic....and don't even get me started on Rothko....

My brother teaches mentally handicapped adults and he thought it would be fun to have them make Pollock'esque paintings. Long story short they hung the people's paintings with a real Pollock and while you could tell that some weren't a Pollock you couldn't tell which one was.
 
My brother teaches mentally handicapped adults and he thought it would be fun to have them make Pollock'esque paintings. Long story short they hung the people's paintings with a real Pollock and while you could tell that some weren't a Pollock you couldn't tell which one was.

What gallery? How'd they get their hands on a Pollock? Who couldn't tell the difference - could they name any modern or contemporary painters at all or were they completely ignorant about what they were evaluating? I call BS (and the implication that people with disabilities can't make good art is a nice bit of prejudice).
 
This is incorrect. As evidence, I present the endless variety of minimalist design from the 20th Century.

Also, it is very difficult to determine what is essential and what can be removed. (Why did they leave the small tick marks? Why did they need a second hand? Why red? Why is there a circle on the end?)

EDIT: And this clock isn't minimalist at all.

Well if you look closely at the "Apple's copy" its not entirely exact. I'd hate to be pedantic but every single proportion is different, so that tells me a lot! Means that apple UI designer tried to get away with using this unlicensed, but they obviously failed so had to pay in the end. Its an imitation of the Swiss design...similar how apple imitates Canon camera in the iPhoto icon. In this case, because they now paid for a license they should change the proportions so that it matches, because the design just doesn't look as nice compared to official.
 
Exactly this.

Seems like an honest error. When called on it, Apple did the right thing and paid the money they owed.

This is how the system is supposed to work.

And that's not in the slightest what actually happened. Apple didn't "owe" anything. This was a case of risk and expense abatement, pure and simple. SBB and Apple both had reasonable claims: SBB that they had a protectible mark that Apple was infringing, and Apple that they were using the design legally for one of various reasons (see my earlier post in this thread). Both parties knew there was a risk of an adverse outcome if they went to court; both were willing to spend a little now (Apple with a licensing offer, SBB presumably by charging less than they would have in the wake of a court judgment) to settle the matter. Win-win.

Again, this isn't like Samsung where their internal emails showed they were very aware that they were infringing IP that wasn't theirs and exploiting it to the greatest extent they could, risking what turned out to be the eventual outcome.
 
I don't know how you could draw anything as simple as a clock face that isn't similar to what's been drawn before by someone somewhere. Hopefully, the settlement, unlike the iPad name shakedown, was reasonable.
 
I love Apple and it's products. However it does annoy me when they blatantly copy something and wait until someone moans, rather than licence it in the first place.
 
It's exact enough for IP purposes. Whatever else might have been at issue in this case, Apple's usage WAS that of the design that SBB asserted ownership of.

Absolutely, i think i heard there is a rule of thumb - 30%. If you change 30% you might get away with it. But this is way too close..

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Who trademarks a clock face?

UPS trademarked panton colour Brown!
 
My brother teaches mentally handicapped adults and he thought it would be fun to have them make Pollock'esque paintings. Long story short they hung the people's paintings with a real Pollock and while you could tell that some weren't a Pollock you couldn't tell which one was.

definitely ********, where did they get a Pollock?
 
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Yes but art and music is exempt from this rule, you cant copyright an Idea for a painting! Neither can you copyright a melody. Only lyrics, photograph, physical recording etc

you're confusing trademark, patents and copyright

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im not following you. who exactly is the winner and who is the loser??

the winners as always the lawyers who charge outrageous fees.

the loser are all of the other people/companies/etc with designs, IP, etc that apple has ripped off, plagiarized, copied and those people are too small to stand up to apple.

apple's montra seems to be, if you can get away with it, do it. don't worry about searching databases.

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from USPTO

What is a trademark or service mark?

A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.

A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product. Throughout this booklet, the terms "trademark" and "mark" refer to both trademarks and service marks.

A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work;

a patent protects an invention, design and/or utility
 
yes, such a waste of Apples Billions... like a pencil shaving.

It doesn't matter if Apple has billions in reserve. Apple doesn't need this expenditure. It's pure waste for an aesthetic consumers don't really care about.
 
It doesn't matter if Apple has billions in reserve. Apple doesn't need this expenditure. It's pure waste for an aesthetic consumers don't really care about.

Doesn't need it?

Apple is required to pay it.

It's like saying Apple doesn't need to pay its employees - it's a pure waste for an ethical issue consumers don't really care about.
 
Doesn't need it?

Apple is required to pay it.

It's like saying Apple doesn't need to pay its employees - it's a pure waste for an ethical issue consumers don't really care about.

Uh, Apple doesn't need to pay its employees if Apple doesn't have any, just like Apple isn't required to pay this licensing fee if they aren't licensing the design - they could have made an alternative design. Relax.
 
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