Apple sues Amazon over App Store name
Appstore for Android and Angry Birds Rio promotion under threat at online retailer
Apple has launched a lawsuit against Amazon.com over the use of the term 'App Store', which the online retailer had begun to use to promote the download of Android products.
According to a Bloomberg report Apple is accusing Amazon of trademark infringement and unfair competition.
Amazon is intending to launch its own app store for Android products, and has already secured support from a number of developers - including Rovio for their forthcoming game Angry Birds Rio release.
Although references to both Angry Birds Rio and the 'Appstore for Android' do still exist when searching the Amazon website they no longer link to active pages.
Although the term app store is used colloquially to refer to any similar download store the phrase is an Apple trademark and other companies refer to their equivalent services in different ways, such as Google's Android Market.
As a result Apple is demanding that Amazon be prevented from using the name and that it pay unspecified damages.
"Amazon has unlawfully used the App Store mark to solicit software developers throughout the United States," says Apple's lawsuit. The company claims that it has received no "substantive response" from Amazon on the matter.
"We've asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers," said Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet. Amazon has so far refused to comment.