Apple has sued Amazon.com over the online retailer's use of Apple's 'App Store' trademark for a mobile-software developer program.

The iPhone maker accuses Amazon of trademark infringement and unfair competition. It has asked a court to prevent the company from using the 'App Store' name and is seeking unspecified damages.

"Amazon has begun improperly using Apple's App Store mark in connection with Amazon's mobile-software developer program," Apple said, according to Bloomberg.

"Amazon has unlawfully used the App Store mark to solicit software developers throughout the United States," Apple also claimed in its suit.

An Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg: "We've asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers."

Microsoft said in January it wanted the US Patent and Trademark Office to reject Apple's application for the name 'App Store', arguing that the term is generic and one the iPhone maker's competitors should also be able to use.

Apple's trademark was granted, although it's set to go before a trademark appeal board, Apple said in its court filing.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/29 ... trademark/

Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere... The US patent/TM office, God save us

Next stop the Android "app store". I suppose that Apple have to protect their trademarks. Though it does seem remarkably generic.

The Android app store doesn't call itself an app store, that's the point. Its the Android Marketplace. Quite why Amazon went with this when there was already a legal fight going on between Apple and MS over MS using the name 'app store' rather perplexes me. They must have known Apple would come after them too, so why pick a fight you don't have to?

The problem is, Steve Jobs called the stores for other platforms App stores at one of the Apple presentations, thus turning it into a generic term, not an Apple specific term... If Apple are using it as a generic term to relate to their competitors, how can they then complain about those competitors using the term themselves?