Apple denies Amazon's claims that “app store” term is generic

In a yet another twist to the lawsuit which has turned to be as close to a linguistic dispute as it gets, Apple denies Amazon’s claims that “app store” is a generic term. The exact statement? “Apple denies that, based on their common meaning, the words ‘app store’ together denote a store for apps,” the company commented in a filing for the federal court in Oakland, California. Thus, in Cupertino’s view, Amazon is infringing on the trademark for the term it coined.

Amazon uses the terms as one word, namely “appstore,” but Apple is reasoning that it’s not commonly accepted by business to denote a store for apps and that’s the exact reason for the lawsuit. The online retailer chose to use that exact term when rolling out its market for applications back in March. Cupertino replied with a lawsuit instantly and is now looking for a court order which would prevent Amazon from using the “appstore” for its application market.

The term “app store” has been trademarked by Apple, but other companies such as Microsoft have also stepped up against such a trademark referring to the generic nature of the whole term. What’s your stance on the matter? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below.

source: Bloomberg