The long dispute between Apple and Amazon over the term "App Store" has come to an end, with Apple agreeing to end the lawsuit with promises from Amazon not to countersue, reports Reuters.
"We no longer see a need to pursue our case," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."
Martin Glick, a lawyer for Amazon, said in an interview, "This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use 'appstore.'"
Apple and Amazon's disagreement arose after Amazon debuted the "Amazon Appstore" in March of 2011, three years after Apple launched its own App Store. Apple sued just days after the Amazon Appstore was made available, asking the court to prevent Amazon from using the term as it tarnished the reputation of the Apple App Store.
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Amazon responded with a request to throw out the trademark suit, calling the "app store" term generic, a position that Microsoft also took when Apple's trademark was originally filed.
Early this year, Amazon successfully had a portion of Apple’s lawsuit dismissed, following claims last year that Apple had failed to demonstrate "real evidence of actual confusion" between app stores, suggesting that Apple was "not likely to prevail" in the suit.
Top Rated Comments
Wrong.
Amazon wanted to call it appstore. Apple didn't want them to call it appstore.
Amazon gets to call it appstore.
Amazon wins.
Who the hell are you trying to fool here? We get it, you're a die hard fan of Apple, we all love Apple but we're not all so stuborn that we cant admit when Apple looses out.
The facts are:
- Amazon wanted to be able to legally use the term 'Appstore'
- Apple didn't want them to be able to do that.
- Apple gave up in the end.
- Amazon got what they wanted from the get go.
You can come up with ifs and buts all day long, but the fact is, Amazon won.
In this case it was very sensible given how stupid it was in the first place. There was no way in hell Apple would get the rights to take control of 'Appstore' as a term.
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Uh yes. It was an Amazon win. Amazon wanted to use the term - and now they can. Amazon win, regardless of how you put it. It had nothing to do with sales figures or statistics, it was the naming.
Amazon won - fact.
Yes, Amazon won, Apple lost.