Apple Sues Amazon Over Term 'App Store'

Apple sued Amazon over its use of the phrase "App Store," accusing the online retailer of trademark infringement.

In a complaint filed in federal court for the Northern District of California, Apple asked the court for an injunction stopping Amazon from using the name as well as unspecified damages. "Consumers of mobile software downloads are likely to be confused as to whether Amazon's mobile software download service is sponsored or approved by Apple," Apple said in its complaint. The lawsuit comes as competition heats up between the two companies. Apple and Amazon compete against each other in many businesses including e-books as well as digital music and movie sales. Apple registered for a trademark on the term App Store on July 17, 2008. It has been using the name since then to refer to its applications store for iPhones, iPod touches and iPads that contains over 350,000 games, entertainment, news and other apps that users can download to customize their devices.