Apple and Amazon have put an end to their legal battle that began over two years ago when Apple sued Amazon for alleged trademark infringement over the "Amazon Appstore" name. According to the court filing, Apple has asked for its complaint to be dismissed after issuing a promise to not sue Amazon, which then rendered Amazon's counterclaim against Apple unnecessary. As a result, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton of the Northern District of California has ordered that the entire case be dismissed.
Speaking to Reuters, Amazon lawyer Martin Glick revealed that Apple had decided to "unilaterally abandon" its case. Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet said that the firm no longer felt it was necessary to keep the case going, stating that "with more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favorite apps."
Amazon originally opened its Appstore for Android in late March 2011, and Apple wasted no time in going after the online retailer for the new storefront's name. Apple claimed that consumers could confuse the "Amazon Appstore" with its own "App Store" for iOS. The Cupertino firm never really got much traction in its case, though, and earlier this year we saw one of Apple's claims dismissed before the two companies entered into settlement talks. Regardless of how the case concluded, it's good to see that it has come to end and that both companies can continue on using the same names for their respective app marketplaces.
