Apple and Amazon have agreed to end their lawsuit regarding the rights to use the “app store” name, leaving room for both companies to use the phrase.
The case was dismissed on Tuesday afternoon by U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California. The dismal comes after Apple promised Amazon it won’t sue, thus eliminating the need for a counterclaim from Amazon.
Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet had the following to say about the end of the lawsuit:
“We no longer see a need to pursue our case. With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps.”
Amazon’s lawyer says that the decision was made by Apple to “unilaterally abandon the case,” and leave Amazon free to use “appstore.” Apple filed the trademark lawsuit against Amazon in 2011, claiming Amazon misused the “app store” name to lure developers to its mobile software service. Amazon claimed that the phrase “app store” was too generic and can’t be characterized as false advertising.
Source: Reuters
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
