Apple and Amazon Settle 'App Store' Dispute

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.

194052-amazonappstore
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.

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...

Top Rated Comments

akm3 Avatar
164 months ago
nope, not even close to an Amazon win. Like the article stated, everyone knows App Store in association with Apple.
Amazon is simply using similar terms to draw people to theirs..but in the end more people are buying from Apple's App Store.

Wrong.

Amazon wanted to call it appstore. Apple didn't want them to call it appstore.

Amazon gets to call it appstore.

Amazon wins.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasonefmonk Avatar
164 months ago
I wish more of these suits would end this way. They are a waste of breath and money.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abz1981 Avatar
164 months ago
This is a good move. Now time to invest money in innovation instead of these lawsuits.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
164 months ago
Nope. it goto the point Apple didnt care because Amazon is not really making an economic impact from AppStore. Apple is definitely onto bigger and better things.

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.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
164 months ago
Tim Cook seems a lot more willing to settle and avoid these lawsuits.

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.

----------

nope, not even close to an Amazon win.

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.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akm3 Avatar
164 months ago
So in a sense, Amazon wins this? They get to use the phrase "App Store"?

Yes, Amazon won, Apple lost.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)