Fanning the flames that fired me
|
|
|
Apple forces Amazon German app store lockdown
BOOKSELLER Amazon has had to shut down its application store to Germans thanks to Steve Jobs' belief that he owns the right to add the word 'store' to another word and then claim it for the rest of eternity.
Apple, of course, has what it calls an App Store, in which it sells applications. Because some other firms, which also want to sell applications in a store, have taken this generic term and used it themselves, Jobs has thrown toys out of his pram, along with some of his cappuccino company's lawyers.
Although his argument that it is not okay to combine the word 'app' with the word 'store', has not won much support in the US, thanks to some wily courts' work, it seems to be doing better in Europe, where Amazon has closed down its German store for apps submissions.
According to the Paidcontent news web site but so far unconfirmed by Amazon to us, the firm sent out an email to developers over the weekend in which it blamed Apple for the closure and apologised to its community.
"Thank you for your participation in the Amazon Appstore for Android. We wanted to notify you of a recent change to your Developer Portal account; for the time being, we are not accepting new app submissions from developers located in Germany," it wrote.
"We have been forced to impose this restriction due to a legal action filed by Apple in Germany seeking to prevent us from using the term 'appstore'. We believe Apple's claim is without merit and are actively contesting it."
Amazon has been actively contesting the claim since it first reared its head, and more recently Getjar also joined the cause.
Neither Apple nor Amazon had replied to phone calls for comment at the time of going to press. µ
Share this:
Share
Windows is hardly a used word (in plural)
appstore on the other hand
I think it's alarming and pointless for Apple to be taking legal action for use of the words "app store". I mean, seriously, are people going to confuse Amazon apps with Apple apps, given that Apple apps can only be downloaded through iTunes/the App Store? Two entirely different markets imho.
On the other hand, I also find it strange why Amazon are making such a fuss about it. Did it really need to make such a song and dance and close it's app "store". Why not just simply call it the Amazon "App Shop" or the "App Mart" and carry on business as usual?
I suspect that the over-reaction on both sides was more to do with generating publicity than anything else!
Come on people, you know there's a more direct writeup of this piece of news, and the links are there.
The article is clearly written a certain way. It's okay to not get the joke, but why bash this article for not being good enough journalism when it wasn't trying to be.
There seems to be a error. Cupertino is misspelled as cappuccino
I mean please, you're bashing Steve Jobs for protecting his stuff. Microsoft trademarked Windows...I mean how much more generic can you get. Get over it. If Android was suing Apple and Jobs was complaining, you'd be saying, "Geez here goes Apple complaining because they're aren't imaginative enough to come up with a different name than App Store." "App store" has become synonymous with Apple. Just as Droid with Google, and Windows with Microsoft. Stop being pissy for the simple fact you don't like Apple. You're worse than atheists.
Where did you learn this poor then thrid grader expressions and tantrum journalism?
"Jobs has thrown toys out of his pram"... I mean... really!! You dont have to write if you cant, just become a farm worker for pete's sake.