Looking to get into the apps game, Amazon recently opened its own app store on-line.
And quickly got a letter from lawyers over at Apple.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is suing Amazon over their new app store.
The suit was filed Friday in Federal Court in the Northern District of California. Apple asked the court for an injunction against Amazon to force the e-tailer to stop using the name, and also for unspecified damages.
“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,” Apple said in its complaint.
Apple and Amazon have grown increasingly competitive in e-books, digital music and movie sales.
Apple trademarked “App Store” on July 17, 2008. The App Store is a section of Apple’s proprietary iTunes, selling applications, TV shows, games and music for iPhones, iPod touches and iPads.
The court documents say Amazon began using “Appstore” around January 2011. According to WSJ blog All Things D, Amazon will launch its Android Appstore Tuesday.
“We’ve asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers,” an Apple spokesperson told the Journal. An Amazon spokesperson declined comment.
Apple’s trademark is also being challenged by Microsoft Corp., and is subject to hearings before an U.S. Patent and Trademark Office apples board.
You know, if over the past decade + years people have been able to tell the difference between Apple and Amazon, it’s beyond me how. I mean, Apple, you’ve got that whole “iTunes” thing where you do all your shopping for Apple, which you’ve got to admit is pretty much exactly the same as surfing the Internet to Amazon’s website in a “not in any way like Apple” sort of way.
Apple, seriously, quit trying to kill off your competition. “Anti-Trust” isn’t a word anyone should need to learn.
Trademarking “app store” is like trademarking “supermarket” What else are you supposed to call a store that sells apps?
Far be it from me to ultimately defend stupid lawsuits. But not too long ago Amazon sued everyone including Apple on the process of one click buying. (Apple instead liscenced it from them.) So it’s not just Apple, this is what the corporate world does with the money they get from us.
That just about makes up my mind for me. I’m due for a phone upgrade, and looking to get with the whole “smart phone” thing . . .
It’s going to be Android for me. Probably the HTC Thunderbolt. Now I am sorry I ever got an iTouch (which I don’t use a whole lot).
And yes, Amazon has its issues as well, but in my limited dealings with Apple, I’ve always walked away feeling like I just got ripped off. Not so with Amazon.
Not like I think I’ll fare better elsewhere, but at least I’ll spread my money (and ire) to different companies.
Apple is evil.
In other news, a 12 year old boy was ordered to pay Apple, Inc $5.00 in damages after selling apple’s on the road side at a stand titled, “Apple Store”.
Next Monster.com will be sued for advertising “Jobs”.
Would it be inappropriate for the judge’s ruling to simply be the playing of YouTube style video montage of various people or movie scenes that have people laughing so hard that they’re falling over and crying?
Nah, I didn’t think so.
I love Apple, but this and some other recent behavior earns them some karmic pops in the mouth their mamas would feel. Shame… I only wish I could be the Fist that delivers said punches… seriously? What does this gain anyone save the lawyers on both sides? It wastes time, energy, money, public relations good will, and oh yeah, violates common sense 6 different ways from Sunday.
Come ON, people.
“What else are you supposed to call a store that sells apps?”
What about AppShop? AppZone? Appazon? FrankAppa?
Bottom line is, Apple was allowed to trademark the name. It now belongs to them. If this makes you angry, don’t take it out on Apple who were smart enough to trademark the name, take it out on the people who allowed this to happen.
What if all facial tissue producers decided to sell Kleenex? Just because that’s what everyone calls it does not mean that is what it is.
This is an “online application store”. The fact that Apple re-named it and made it zippier and punchier is their intellectual property. From a marketing perspective, they are smart to not want anyone else to use it.
Apple wasn’t the first to use the term “app”, and they weren’t the first to have a store for apps. They can’t even claim that they chose it because it’s short for “Apple”.
Because other companies were using the term “app” for their mobile and smartphone products before Apple “marked” the term “App Store”, it never should have been granted.
The fact that it’s Amazon they’ve gone after first amongst the other non-Apple uses out there of “app store” smacks of opportunism, along with actually trademarking “App Store”. Makes no sense, kinda like Trump trying to mark “You’re Fired” or Pat Riley trademarking the phrase “Three-peat”.
I didn’t know Amazon had an “Appstore”. Thanks to Apple I am going to go check it out now.
“If this makes you angry, don’t take it out on Apple who were smart enough to trademark the name…”
That attitude is part of the problem, and the underlying point of complaint against Apple.
Just because you can? Really?