Online retailer’s Android marketplace named Amazon Appstore, infringing Apple’s disputed trademark.
Apple has begun legal proceedings against Amazon, alleging the online retail giant is in violation of the App Store trademark.
Amazon’s Android software marketplace, Amazon Appstore, is to officially launch later this month. Yet last Friday Apple filed a complaint at a northern California federal court, accusing Amazon of trademark infringement and unfair competition, requesting a judge’s order to prevent Amazon using the name and award Apple unspecified damages.
“Amazon has begun improperly using Apple’s App Store mark in connection with Amazon’s mobile-software developer program,” Apple said in its complaint. “Amazon has unlawfully used the App Store mark to solicit software developers throughout the United States.”
Apple claims to have contacted Amazon three times over the alleged breach of trademark, demanding that it cease using the phrase, but that it hadn’t “provided a substantive response”.
“We’ve asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers,” Apple’s Kristin Huguet told Bloomberg.
Apple’s trademark of the phrase App Store, which it registered in 2008, is currently being challenged by Microsoft, who claims the phrase is a generic term to describe a software marketplace which its competitors should be free to use.
No comments:
Post a Comment