Apple rejects Amazon's claims 'app store' is generic
updated 11:00 am EDT, Fri May 20, 2011
Apple denies Amazon claims to generic app stores
Apple in a court filing late Thursday rebuffed Amazon's response that the term "app store" was generic. It insisted that the term isn't commonly used by other companies for their portals and couldn't be considered generic. Amazon was allegedly treading on Apple's mark by using the Appstore name as a result.
The iPhone maker had sued Amazon in March claiming that its "app store" trademark was valid and commonly associated with the iOS App Store and, more recently, the Mac App Store. At one point, it has argued that the term was a deliberate play on the company name.
Along with support from others, Microsoft has been regularly challenging the trademark and has often given answers to many of Apple's claims. The Windows developer has contended that developers are only avoiding the "app store" name to avoid litigation. Court submissions have noted that many now use the term generically and has even caught Apple CEO Steve Jobs referring to "app stores" in the generic sense.
Amazon's Appstore, whatever its name, is increasingly seen as instrumental to its strategy. Currently dependent on other devices, it's widely believed to be working on its Coyote and Hollywood tablets and would likely want a strong, self-contained app ecosystem instead of leaning on Android Market.
TAGS :
Amazon, iPhone, industry, Microsoft, Steve Jobs, lawsuits, App Store, mobile phones, Apple, Amazon Appstore
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Oct 2009
I know I'm an Apple fanboy...
...but I do honestly think that they have a point. Before the iOS (or iPhone OS, as it was known) App Store was introduced, no one regularly used the phrase 'app store' or even 'application store'. Even the word 'app' was made popular by iOS devices... Apple might not have invented it, but it's associated with them (and their devices).
Even calling the App Store equivalent something like 'App World' (BlackBerry/RIM) is fine (even though it's obviously influenced by the App Store), but the specific phrase 'App Store' really does 'belong' to Apple.