Trademark

Apple’s Battle for App Store Trademark Continues

Cody Lee ∙ June 12, 2011

One thing is certain in the tech industry: If you ever become more successful than others feel you should be, you become an instant target for a lawsuit. And with the way some companies are performing right now, patent and trademark law seems to be a safe bet for a business.

A particular case that has been highlighted recently is the court battle between Apple and Amazon. While the Cupertino company is known for their fierce legal team, they may have a tough time proving that the term "App Store," is solely their property...

Apple Files Lawsuit Against Amazon Over ‘App Store’ Trademark

Guest Author ∙ Updated October 23, 2016

Amazon has had an "appstore" developer portal since January; a place where developers can submit mobile applications for approval and then sell them on Amazon's website.

Bloomberg reports that Apple has filed a lawsuit against Amazon Inc. on March 18th over the “App Store” trademark used in their developer portal...

Microsoft and Apple Still Fighting Over ‘App Store’ Trademark

Alex Heath ∙ March 2, 2011

Microsoft has pointed the finger and claimed that it's unfair for Apple to trademark the phrase "App Store." Microsoft claims that the term is too generic, and that other companies should be able to use the phrase for their own mobile marketplaces.

Apple has had enough of Microsoft's wining, and has retaliated by calling out the generic nature of the term "Windows." Bet you didn't see that coming, Microsoft.

Microsoft Claims that Apple Can’t Trademark “App Store”, Proceeds to Throw a Legal Hissy Fit

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

What do you do when your company has 66 billion dollars in revenue from last year? Invest in lots of hot startup companies and acquire more talented employees? No. You hire a highly-paid team of lawyers to file a pathetic motion for trademark denial to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

That's exactly what the giant industry grandfather, Microsoft, has done. Apple has already trademarked the phrase, "There's an app for that." But Microsoft doesn't think that Apple should have the rights to also trademark the term "App Store."

Although it's unclear as to whether Microsoft will win this appeal, it seems that Apple would have a stronger case. After all, the App Store has practically become a household name...

Apple Trademarks the Phrase “There’s an App For That”

Alex Heath ∙ October 12, 2010

Apple's trademark filing for their famous catchphrase, "There's an App For That" has been approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent is filed under the Advertising, Business and Retail Services, Computer and Software service and Scientific services categories.

The trademark applies to, "Retail store services featuring computer software provided via the Internet and other computer and electronic communication networks; retail store services featuring computer software for use on handheld mobile digital electronic devices and other consumer electronics."

This doesn't mean that there can't be anymore cheesy blog headlines with the catchphrase (which I have been guilty of a couple of times). It does mean that Apple can pursue a commercial infringement of the trademark with much greater ease in court...