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.

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.