Apple and Amazon Settle 'App Store' Dispute

The long dispute between Apple and Amazon over the term "App Store" has come to an end, with Apple agreeing to end the lawsuit with promises from Amazon not to countersue, reports Reuters.

"We no longer see a need to pursue our case," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said. "With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."

Martin Glick, a lawyer for Amazon, said in an interview, "This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use 'appstore.'"

Apple and Amazon's disagreement arose after Amazon debuted the "Amazon Appstore" in March of 2011, three years after Apple launched its own App Store. Apple sued just days after the Amazon Appstore was made available, asking the court to prevent Amazon from using the term as it tarnished the reputation of the Apple App Store.

194052-amazonappstore
Amazon responded with a request to throw out the trademark suit, calling the "app store" term generic, a position that Microsoft also took when Apple's trademark was originally filed.

Early this year, Amazon successfully had a portion of Apple’s lawsuit dismissed, following claims last year that Apple had failed to demonstrate "real evidence of actual confusion" between app stores, suggesting that Apple was "not likely to prevail" in the suit.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...

Top Rated Comments

akm3 Avatar
161 months ago
nope, not even close to an Amazon win. Like the article stated, everyone knows App Store in association with Apple.
Amazon is simply using similar terms to draw people to theirs..but in the end more people are buying from Apple's App Store.

Wrong.

Amazon wanted to call it appstore. Apple didn't want them to call it appstore.

Amazon gets to call it appstore.

Amazon wins.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasonefmonk Avatar
161 months ago
I wish more of these suits would end this way. They are a waste of breath and money.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
abz1981 Avatar
161 months ago
This is a good move. Now time to invest money in innovation instead of these lawsuits.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
161 months ago
Nope. it goto the point Apple didnt care because Amazon is not really making an economic impact from AppStore. Apple is definitely onto bigger and better things.

Who the hell are you trying to fool here? We get it, you're a die hard fan of Apple, we all love Apple but we're not all so stuborn that we cant admit when Apple looses out.

The facts are:

- Amazon wanted to be able to legally use the term 'Appstore'
- Apple didn't want them to be able to do that.
- Apple gave up in the end.
- Amazon got what they wanted from the get go.

You can come up with ifs and buts all day long, but the fact is, Amazon won.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rmwebs Avatar
161 months ago
Tim Cook seems a lot more willing to settle and avoid these lawsuits.

In this case it was very sensible given how stupid it was in the first place. There was no way in hell Apple would get the rights to take control of 'Appstore' as a term.

----------

nope, not even close to an Amazon win.

Uh yes. It was an Amazon win. Amazon wanted to use the term - and now they can. Amazon win, regardless of how you put it. It had nothing to do with sales figures or statistics, it was the naming.

Amazon won - fact.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
akm3 Avatar
161 months ago
So in a sense, Amazon wins this? They get to use the phrase "App Store"?

Yes, Amazon won, Apple lost.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)