compared to what? in the case of the "round corners", the Germans ruled in favor of not-infringing, while the US ones awarded Apple $1B+...
https://sfconservancy.org/news/2019/apr/02/vmware-no-appeal/
In the United States, a design patent is a form of legal protection granted to the ornamental design of a functional item. Design patents are a type of industrial design right. Ornamental designs of jewelry, furniture, beverage containers (Fig. 1) and computer icons are examples of objects that are covered by design patents.
[...]
A US design patent covers the ornamental design for an object having practical utility. An object with a design that is substantially similar to the design claimed in a design patent cannot be made, used, copied or imported into the United States without the permission of the patent holder. The copy does not have to be exact for the patent to be infringed. It only has to be substantially similar.
They understood the license just fine back then