We recently heard that Apple had expanded its ‘App Store‘ trademark in Europe, something which a number of technology companies have been less than happy about, and we had already heard Microsoft’s thoughts on the matter, as they have complained that the term is too generic.
Now a number of technology companies are challenging Apple’s trademark in Europe, and the list includes Microsoft, Nokia, HTC and Sony Ericsson, Microsoft has released a statement which you can see below.
“Microsoft and other leading technology companies are seeking to invalidate Apple’s trademark registration for APP STORE and APPSTORE because we believe that they should not have been granted because they both lack distinctiveness. The undisputed facts establish that ‘app store’ means exactly what it says, a store offering apps, and is generic for the services that the registrations cover.”
Amazon recently launched the Amazon App Store, shortly after the launch we heard that Apple had launched a complaint in a court in California over Amazon’s use of the term App Store.
It will be interesting to see how this turns out, will Apple be able to hold onto the ‘App Store’ trademark, or will be see a number of companies launching applications platforms with the same name.
