Apple has unleashed its pack of lawyers on a fellow competitor for the use of the term 'App Store' by online goliath Amazon.
Apple continue to fight to secure the name 'App Store' after going into a legal battle with Microsoft, who reckon Apple can't take claim for such a generic term.
Last time Apple went on the offensive stating that Microsoft has used generic terms and managed to trademark them - windows is a example of this.
Apple actually trademarked the term way back in July 2008. They filled against Amazon in the federal court for the Northern District of California on Friday.
The complaint claimed: “Consumers of mobile software downloads are likely to be confused as to whether Amazon’s mobile software download service is sponsored or approved by Apple."
Amazon’s version is slightly different to Apple's though, with the term one word and not in capitals. If that makes a difference.
Microsoft stated last month: ‘App store’ is a generic name that Apple should not be permitted to trademark for its exclusive use. Competitors should be free to use ‘app store’ to identify their own stores and the services offered in conjunction with those stores.”
This case looks like it will rumble on a for a while yet - what do think of the Apple’s competition trying to take on Apple’s Trademark. Is it too generic or a sublime piece of trademarking ?
Let us know below.
2 thoughts on “Apple Suing Amazon Over The Use Of ‘App Store’”
Sage Networks applied for the appstore trademark in 1998 but 2 years later abandoned their efforts to get it passed.
Salesforce.com applied for the same trademark in 2006 but abandoned it in 2008.
The reasons for being rebuffed by the USPTO? App is just short for application, and so “appstore” is a description in the same sense as “application store”.
Then Apple applies in 2008 for the same trademark and it is granted. The reason? App now has a non-generic meaning – it is now also known as an application for the Apple iOS platform and available only from the Apple store.
This 2008 decision doesn’t seem fair when you read the previous applications… they seem to be describing exactly the sort of store that Apple has become famous for.
This is bloody ridiculous. Apple need to get a grip! I love my iPhone but if I was stopped from writing something because Apple own it I would be pretty pee’d off. I know, why don’t I Trademark the word ‘The’ and then sue everyone who uses it? My God! Apple! Chill!