Of all the features on Apple's products, one might assume a clock icon is the least likely to cause controversy. Yet, shortly after Apple released a new clock for the iPad as part of its iOS 6 update in mid-September, the company was accused of copying the design from Switzerland's Federal Railways service.

The Swiss clock in question was originally designed in the 1940s by Hans Hilfiker and is considered a symbol of the company and the country. Initially, Swiss Federal Railways threatened to push for legal action, but within a few weeks, Apple seemed to give into pressure and agreed to license the clock's design.

At the time, the terms of the deal were unknown, but now local Swiss publication Tages-Anzeiger reports hearing from sources that Apple paid about $21 million for the right to license the clock's design for use on the iPad.

That's a small fee for a company with more than $100 billion in cash, but it's symbolic that Apple is willing to quickly make amends and license intellectual property.

Apple has been accused of copying features before. Indeed, Apple's former CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs all but confessed to lifting their design for the mouse and graphical interface from Xerox, and explained it by quoting Picasso's line that "Good artists copy, great artists steal."

However, considering that Apple is involved in several high-profile patent disputes around the world, perhaps the company decided now just isn't the right time to get into a prolonged fight about stealing a clock.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Artnow314.