Apple sues Amazon over ‘App Store’ trademark

Apple has sued Amazon over its use of the “App Store” trademark, according to a Bloomberg report. In the complaint, filed March 18 in federal court in northern California, Apple accuses Amazon of trademark infringement and unfair competition, and asks for a court order to stop Amazon from using the App Store name, as well as for unspecified damages. Amazon officially opened its Amazon Appstore for Android today, offering many of the same apps as Apple’s App Store, such as the new Angry Brids Rio, but actually began using the term earlier this year. “Amazon has unlawfully used the App Store mark to solicit software developers throughout the United States,” Apple states in its suit. Notably, Apple is currently involved in a dispute with Microsoft over the “App Store” trademark, over which Microsoft has filed an objection with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.