Apple’s request to ban Amazon from using “Appstore” will probably be denied

A couple of months ago, Apple took Amazon to court for calling its Android app store the “Appstore” – complaining that it would cause confusion among consumers when they decide to purchase apps from either service. According to the latest report from Bloomberg, it looks like the judge will be denying Apple’s request to ban Amazon from using the term. The judge’s reasoning states Apple’s difficulty to demonstrate any real evidence of actual confusion among consumers hasn’t been very good for the company.

Now on the surface it may be confusing to have two stores named similarly, but hear me out. Firstly –Amazon’s Appstore only sells Android apps. There is no way an iOS device could get apps from Amazon’s store, and neither can Android phones download apps from Apple’s App Store. How can it be confusing to consumers? Secondly, no other app store besides the Apple App Store is authorized to sell apps to iOS devices – again, customers shouldn’t have a problem here. So while it’s true that Amazon is stepping on Apple’s toes when it came to the naming of the shop, it sure seems like Apple is making a mountain out of a molehill. What do you think?

George Wong
Categories: Apple
Tags: Amazon, App Store, Apple Inc, appstore, lawsuit