Apple: Amazon's Appstore Isn't an 'App Store'

amazon appstore
The dispute between Apple and Amazon over the term "App Store" continues, with Apple filing a new document with the court claiming that Amazon's "Appstore for Android" can't possibly be an app store because the term is a non-generic one referring only to Apple's App Store. Apple's official response comes via Bloomberg:

"Apple denies that, based on their common meaning, the words 'app store' together denote a store for apps," the company said in a filing yesterday in federal court in Oakland, California.

The term isn't commonly used by businesses to describe download services and, because the mark "app store" isn't generic, Amazon's Appstore for Android service isn't an "app store," Apple said in the filing.

Apple sued Amazon in late March over the "App Store" term after Amazon rolled out its marketplace for Android applications. Amazon fired back late last month, arguing that the term is generic and filing a counterclaim against Apple seeking dismissal of the original suit, reimbursement of costs, and a declaratory judgment giving Amazon free rein to use the term.

Apple is fighting a similar battle simply in trying to have the "App Store" trademark officially recognized. Microsoft in particular has been working hard to convince trademark examiners that the term is generic and not specific to Apple's implementation, using as one of its most important pieces of evidence quotes from Apple CEO Steve Jobs using the term generically to refer to non-Apple application stores.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 Next Week With These New Features

Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3. Notification Summary Changes Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries Apple Intelligence...
Apple Pay Walmart Feature

Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.

Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today. A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Launching This Year With These New Features

Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device. The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3

Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes. The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
truecaller

Truecaller iOS Update Rolls Out Real-Time Caller ID Support

Wednesday January 22, 2025 2:07 am PST by
Popular caller ID app Truecaller is rolling out an update that brings real-time caller ID support to its iOS subscribers. Apple introduced Live Caller ID Lookup in iOS 18, allowing third-party caller ID apps to securely retrieve information about a caller from their servers, hence today's Truecaller update. iPhone users can enable the Live Caller ID Lookup feature by going to Settings ➝ ...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb 3

iOS 18.3 Leak Provides Clue About iPhone SE 4, iPad 11, and iPad Air 7 Launch Timing

Wednesday January 22, 2025 9:39 am PST by
New information has surfaced that indicates the rumored iPhone SE 4, iPad 11, and new iPad Air models are nearing launch. A private account on social media platform X today revealed that iOS 18.3 or iPadOS 18.3 will be preinstalled on all of those upcoming devices when they are released. It is still unclear exactly when the devices will launch, but this information suggests that Apple will...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...

Top Rated Comments

staveb Avatar
179 months ago
Apple is wrong and stupid

For every reason I loved Apple when they were the scrappy little dog, they are behaving very poorly here, and I hope Amazon crushes them in their counter-suit.

Rather than try to copyright generic terms, innovate Apple! You're better than this!
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
emvath Avatar
179 months ago
Apple,

I love you buddy, but you are coming off looking stupid on this one. Give it up please and get back to working on my wireless sync.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sined13 Avatar
179 months ago
They're only CALLED apps because Apple started calling them apps when they started their app store.
The word "app" (referring to computer applications) has existed since (edit: around) 1979.

Google has also existed for some time...try using it before posting.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjohnstone Avatar
179 months ago
Funny... I download "Apps" from the Amazon's Appstore all the time.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Geckotek Avatar
179 months ago
They're only CALLED apps because Apple started calling them apps when they started their app store.

Before that they were called APPLICATIONS (or even, dare I say it? PROGRAMS).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to clean my xerox with a kleenex so I can ebay a copy of my jeep. When I'm done I'll hoover the floor.

FAIL

Ref: Handmark App Store
Ref: Java App
Ref: Windows App (in Explorer)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZMacintosh Avatar
179 months ago
Sounds like Apple is going to lose another one.

Even if they dont lose this one, they've "lost it".
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)