| Apple sues Amazon over 'App Store' name |
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Apple has sued Amazon.com, claiming the retail giant is using its "App Store" trademark without proper consent. As reported by Bloomberg, Apple filed suit on March 18 seeking to prevent Amazon from using the app store name and to win unspecified damages. "Amazon has begun improperly using Apple’s App Store mark in connection with Amazon’s mobile software developer program,” the complaint reads, according to Bloomberg. Steve Jobs and company filed for a trademark on "App Store" following the release of the iPhone 3G in the summer of 2008. In September, word arrived that Amazon was planning an Android application marketplace called the "Appstore", designed to compete with Google's official Android Market. Developers pay $99 to join the program, and Amazon will take the standard 30 per cent of purchase prices. The rumor is that the store will open on Tuesday. Unlike Google's marketplace, which lets developers list any application after paying a fee, Amazon's Appstore will be curated, just as Apple's iTunes App Store is. Microsoft has filed a complaint against Apple's "App Store" trademark application, claiming the name is too generic. Naturally, Apple said otherwise, and Microsoft responded by arguing that Apple's filing used a font that was much too small. ® |
