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Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

news.cnet.com

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Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#31

Post by DenisM »

mortenjorck wrote: post #17
runjake wrote: post #6

I'm as hopeful that Apple gets served its own medicine like the next guy, but this seems more like a common sense design rather than a copy. In fact, I once made a mechanical clock that looks virtually identical to the iOS example and this was years before iOS was unleashed on the world. It's just thick lines and thin lines thrown together. The hands aren't even tapered like the Mondaine's. This seems like a desperat…

I'm afraid this is as "obvious" a clock design as the iPhone trade dress is an "obvious" smartphone design. The Swiss clock is not without a number of highly identifiable idiosyncrasies, such as the circle on the second hand or the unusually thick, rectilinear minute markers. That said, this isn't quite like-for-like. Apple isn't producing a clock for your home to compete with licensed replicas; it's producing an app…

They are diluting the brand's value though. I'm not sure I would be pleased to have spent $350 for a watch to find a free replica on the nearby iPad.

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#32

Post by MartinCron »

I noticed the similarity right away. I had assumed apple had licensed the design if it were still protected.

I would like to expect better from them. It's a beautiful design and a smart addition, but doing this at all, regardless of the Samsung case, is shameful.

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#34

Post by enjo »

10char wrote: post #26

This, and inevitable references to Braun, have no place in comparison with the Samsung trial. Samsung made competing products so similar to the effect, and indeed with the purpose, of confusing consumers. The recent rise in Apple bashing and calls of hypocrisy is even stranger in historical context[1]. Perhaps more of us should try and empathize with Apple's situation and history before passing fashionable judgement.…

We're not supposed to criticize Apple for straight up abusing patent law because they failed at straight up abusing copyright law in the past?

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#35

Post by mc32 »

mladenkovacevic wrote: post #12

No, no, no you guys don't understand. This is not a cheap rip-off. It's an homage and the Swiss will be honoured that their famous clock has been elevated to the high-art status of Apple design and innovation. The critical eye of an average iPhone user will appreciate the fine craftsmanship & precision of the painstaking work that went into translating the iconic clock into an exact digital replica.

Serious question, if the Railway company was a government institution when the design was released, is the design not in the public domain?

Nowadays, it seems they're quasi-governmental, but back then I think they were strictly a national org. It'd be like DARPA trying to get royalties on the internet or something similar. I could be wrong in this line of thinking, of course.

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#36

Post by splamco »

mladenkovacevic wrote: post #12

No, no, no you guys don't understand. This is not a cheap rip-off. It's an homage and the Swiss will be honoured that their famous clock has been elevated to the high-art status of Apple design and innovation. The critical eye of an average iPhone user will appreciate the fine craftsmanship & precision of the painstaking work that went into translating the iconic clock into an exact digital replica.

One man's theft is another man's anonymous homage.

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#37

Post by bhousel »

mc32 wrote: post #35
mladenkovacevic wrote: post #12

No, no, no you guys don't understand. This is not a cheap rip-off. It's an homage and the Swiss will be honoured that their famous clock has been elevated to the high-art status of Apple design and innovation. The critical eye of an average iPhone user will appreciate the fine craftsmanship & precision of the painstaking work that went into translating the iconic clock into an exact digital replica.

Serious question, if the Railway company was a government institution when the design was released, is the design not in the public domain? Nowadays, it seems they're quasi-governmental, but back then I think they were strictly a national org. It'd be like DARPA trying to get royalties on the internet or something similar. I could be wrong in this line of thinking, of course.

Government entities can and often do own intellectual property - patents, trademarks, copyrights - and regularly defend them.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_New_York for one famous example.

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#38

Post by damian2000 »

mc32 wrote: post #35
mladenkovacevic wrote: post #12

No, no, no you guys don't understand. This is not a cheap rip-off. It's an homage and the Swiss will be honoured that their famous clock has been elevated to the high-art status of Apple design and innovation. The critical eye of an average iPhone user will appreciate the fine craftsmanship & precision of the painstaking work that went into translating the iconic clock into an exact digital replica.

Serious question, if the Railway company was a government institution when the design was released, is the design not in the public domain? Nowadays, it seems they're quasi-governmental, but back then I think they were strictly a national org. It'd be like DARPA trying to get royalties on the internet or something similar. I could be wrong in this line of thinking, of course.

Tell that to the guys at Australia's CSIRO who just won some global WiFi patent actions.

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#39

Post by Steko »

10char wrote: post #26

This, and inevitable references to Braun, have no place in comparison with the Samsung trial. Samsung made competing products so similar to the effect, and indeed with the purpose, of confusing consumers. The recent rise in Apple bashing and calls of hypocrisy is even stranger in historical context[1]. Perhaps more of us should try and empathize with Apple's situation and history before passing fashionable judgement.…

The core idea of one company egregiously violating another's marks/trade dress is nearly identical to the Samsung situation.

The difference I suspect is that Apple will pay up the same way they did when they just went ahead and named products identically to other companies' products (iPhone belonged to Cisco, etc.).

Re: Apple accused of ripping off famous Swiss clock design

#40

Post by steve19 »

mc32 wrote: post #35
mladenkovacevic wrote: post #12

No, no, no you guys don't understand. This is not a cheap rip-off. It's an homage and the Swiss will be honoured that their famous clock has been elevated to the high-art status of Apple design and innovation. The critical eye of an average iPhone user will appreciate the fine craftsmanship & precision of the painstaking work that went into translating the iconic clock into an exact digital replica.

Serious question, if the Railway company was a government institution when the design was released, is the design not in the public domain? Nowadays, it seems they're quasi-governmental, but back then I think they were strictly a national org. It'd be like DARPA trying to get royalties on the internet or something similar. I could be wrong in this line of thinking, of course.

In the USA maybe, but in many (most?) countries government organizations can hold copyrights and trademarks.

For the record, the Department Of Defense frequently applied for new patents, many which I presume come from DARPA research.

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