back to article Apple surrenders in 'app store' trademark suit against Amazon

After battling it out in the courts for more than two years, Apple has dropped its lawsuit against Amazon over the e-commerce giant's use of the term "app store", claiming legal measures are no longer necessary. "We no longer see a need to pursue our case," Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet told Reuters on Tuesday. "With more …

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  1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Trollface

    Weurgh. Kinda sour, those Apples.

  2. edge_e
    Boffin

    It's amazing

    How robust some people's reality filters are.

    Apple's Huguet said that Apple chose to drop the case now because its App Store brand had grown strong enough to not require additional legal protections.

    1. Blain Hamon

      Re: It's amazing

      "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it." --Upton Sinclair

      Apple's Huguet is probably paid handsomely to have the reality filter publicly on, especially in the US legal system, where one should never admit defeat or being wrong. Given that context, I'd be more amazed if she had said something like, "Our bad. Totally should have dropped this ages ago."

      1. Arctic fox
        Thumb Up

        @Blain Hamon. Indeed, astonishment would be a small word in the context..........

        ...........if she had something of the kind. However, I think we could agree that them protecting their precious corporate egos is a small price to pay for them dropping this nonsense. I look forward (although I am not holding my breath) to her announcing that they are dropping their farcical judicial carpet bombing of Samsung on the basis the the iPhone/iPad brands are too strong to be damaged by the possibility that some seriously brain-dead members of the public might be confused when comparing them with their rival's products.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    with every tech-head

    resident of El Reg clamouring to say "I told you so" - please allow me to be the first.

  4. chipxtreme

    I hope Apple have paid Amazon's legal fees for the time wasted with this nonsense.

  5. Daniel B.
    Holmes

    No shit, Sherlock

    Apple's Huguet said that Apple chose to drop the case now because its App Store brand had grown strong enough to not require additional legal protections.

    Given that the App Store only sells either OSX or iOS apps, and that you can only buy iOS apps on the App Store, I'd guess it never even needed said legal protections. Amazon's (or any other's) Appstore doesn't compete with the App(le) Store.

  6. b166er

    Apple, knobs.

    1. Tom 13

      Re: Apple, knobs.

      Generally concur, but having once been involved in a Trademark dispute and being aware of several others, I'll give them a pass on this one. The lawyers told them they had to, so they did. Few people in a board room have the gonads/are foolish enough (choose your preferred option) to challenge a lawyer on these pronouncements. Now the courts have rightly said, no.

  7. dorsetknob
    Coat

    I wonder in which TAX JURISDICTION / COUNTRY will Apple try to write off the legal fees and costs this STUPID CASE caused

    1. Eddy Ito
      Devil

      HUH?!?!

      What? You can write it off? Fuck me and let slip the suits of law!*

      *To be dropped after the appropriate tax write off time, yes time.

  8. Neoc

    Translation...

    "We realised we were about to lose and have this thrown out of court, so we withdrew our complaint so we cannot be said to have lost."

    FTFY

    1. VinceH
      Happy

      Re: Translation...

      Damn you! You beat me to it! :)

  9. Herby

    News of the day...

    Apple announces that its "app store" will henceforth be called the "Apple App Store". Trademarks to follow.

    Of course it might be better if they say it is the "IOS App Store", but I'll leave that to the people at 1 Infinite Loop.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I get my apps at the Hoover store...

    .. wait i mean the vacuum cleaner store....

    Can the US legal system say "Precedent"

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    As Nelson would say....

    HA ha!!!

    (No, not the one with the eye patch, the OTHER Nelson)

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: As Nelson would say....

      Mandela?

  12. peter 45

    Oh

    "App Store brand had grown strong enough to not require additional legal protections"

    You mean there wasn't a 'likelyhood of confusion' as Apple has been claiming all along? I assume that they were not using the lawsuit to try to intimidate competition, and it wasn't the Judges comment that made them realise they were not going to pull the wool over his eyes, so the sudden increase in 'strength of their brand' reason must be true

    1. Robert E A Harvey

      Re: Oh

      I would like to see a contempt-of-court type sanction where the judge can just fine one (or both) sides for being vexatious litigants and wasting everyone's time. Would have come in handy with SCO/IBM as well.

      5 billion paid to the public defence system to help the impoverished get justice would go down rather nicely, I feel.

      1. Tom 13
        Unhappy

        Re: contempt-of-court type sanction where the judge can just fine

        Just remember, the judges also make money when the litigants bring these cases.

        1. Intractable Potsherd

          Re: contempt-of-court type sanction where the judge can just fine @ Tom 13

          "... the judges also make money when the litigants bring these cases."

          No, they don't. Judges are salaried employees who would be paid regardless (it isn't as if there is competition for cases). There isn't any extra for hearing certain types of case.*

          * As far as I know, but California is a funny place ...

  13. Squander Two

    Apple need a new abbreviation.

    Maybe they could start calling lap-top computers "laptops" and trademark that.

  14. Jonathan 29

    Hmmm

    I would point out in the interests of balanced commentary that when Amazon was demanding money to use its dubious '1-Click' patent, Apple just paid for a license.

    1. sabroni Silver badge
      Meh

      Re: Hmmm

      Just for balance, this wasn't about patents, it was about trade marks. Apple are still being unbalanced twats when it comes to patents...

  15. Cuddles

    Competition?

    "With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."

    Well yes. If they have an Apple phone, they can do so using Apple's app store. If they have an Android phone, they can't, but can use someone else's instead. Trademarks are only relevant when the things being sold are in direct competition with each other. Since no device (that I'm aware of at least) is capable of using both Apple's and Amazon's app store, there is no competition.

  16. Wize

    If they claim that their users are smart enough to know the difference...

    ...does that mean they will have to drop the Samsung lawsuits where they claim Samsung are copying the look of their devices and may cause confusion with users?

  17. adam payne

    "Apple's Huguet said that Apple chose to drop the case now because its App Store brand had grown strong enough to not require additional legal protections. "

    I guess that would translate as we couldn't win so we'll let them off.

  18. auburnman

    How good would it be if Amazon refused to let this go and countersued over a frivolous lawsuit?

    1. sabroni Silver badge

      Not bad, but I can't imagine them getting compensated enough to dent Apple's ardour for frivolous court cases. You do have to wonder how much this BS has cost Amazon.

      We need some way to restrict companies like Apple from throwing their legal weight around safe in the knowledge that they can just go "oh, actually, don't bother" once the other party has spent a small fortune on lawyers.....

  19. Irongut

    customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps

    Yup, Amazon Appstore or Google Play!

  20. Lallabalalla
    Gimp

    god apple are such dicks

    i even like their hardware, but - damn!

  21. Chika

    Hmm... veeeeery interesting, but...

    I was just reading an article about the App-le store and its zombie infestation. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23240971

  22. Peter 48

    " With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."

    TRANSLATION: we don't have a hope in hell of winning this so we are quitting whilst we can.

  23. Intractable Potsherd

    Bad week for Apple.

    They've just lost the ebook price-fixing case too. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23259935)

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