I'm not sure what you mean when you say Apple's App store has never used .app as an extension. Mac and iOS applications have the extension .app in the the same way that Windows has .exe as an extension. Applications sold in the App Store will have a .app extension to identify them as applications. This extension was adopted when Apple dropped the idea of identifying file types by the information held in the resource fork of files (I guess around the time they introduced Mac OS X in 2001).
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Sues Amazon Over 'App Store' Trademark
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'm not sure what you mean when you say Apple's App store has never used .app as an extension. Mac and iOS applications have the extension .app in the the same way that Windows has .exe as an extension. Applications sold in the App Store will have a .app extension to identify them as applications. This extension was adopted when Apple dropped the idea of identifying file types by the information held in the resource fork of files (I guess around the time they introduced Mac OS X in 2001).
Only in its commonality for the iOS devices. Just because it is so well known, due to the marketing of Apple, does not mean it is generic from a legal perspective. But if they don't fight it, then the rights are lost. Amazon is milking Apple's marketing and hoping that Apple won't fight it, making it generic.
And Microsoft didn't apply for the trademark. Will you people take a moment and learn about the issue before commenting?
I'm not saying Apple is right. I'm not saying they are wrong. But there is an argument that Apple's trademarking the term is not out of the question. At the end of this legal battle perhaps Apple will lose the argument. But to say they have no right to trademark the term because some other companies used the term is absurd. Its not an all or nothing situation.
What I meant was pretty clear. iOS has no .app's, .app has never appeared in iOS. .app is an Apple extention that iOS has has never tried to clear because it is so clearly a losing argument that no one knowledgeable in it would go anywhere near defending it. Trying to protect .app would simply show one lacks a background in the subject. Walk away from this one. You have no idea of the subject and it shows.
I'm going to trademark the color Red
Too late, its already been trademarked (see http://www.red.com/). See trademarks at bottom of page.
Well actually it isn't. "iOS has no .app's" (sic). Apostrophe followed by an "s" indicates possession, but you do not indicate what is being possessed. ".app is an Apple extention that iOS has has never tried to clear". Who is iOS and what are they trying to clear? Do you mean Apple rather than iOS and what do you mean by clear?
To misuse you own words "You obviously have no idea about the subject and it shows".
I know I"ll get flamed for this but nobody in their right mind would side with apple on this issue. It is literally ridiculous that app store can be considered a trademark. yes apple started using app store, but someone has to. Let's give Apple kudos for bringing us into the future. But that's all they deserve. Trademark should only be given to something unique. The example people used aren't accurate. Yes Tissue papers are known as Kleenex, but Kleenex is just a brand. What is the item? a tissue paper. The app store is something, it's literally an application store. It's like if somebody trademarked internet browser or microsoft trademarking spreadsheets or the word "office". Or someone trademarking tablets. God, this is ridiculous.
I think that any combination of "app" and "store" (as well as "shop" "marketplace" and "market") is too general to trademark. If you want to add your name to it, fine.
"App Store" has become generalized for a place to buy and download apps/applications/programs/executable files/"things" for computers and phones. IMO.
Read the thread before posting. It has been answered and beaten to death.
"App Store" has become generalized for a place to buy and download apps/applications/programs/executable files/"things" for computers and phones. IMO.
Read the thread before posting. It has been answered and beaten to death.
While I'll admit that "App Store" is kind of a generic term, if Apple called their store the "Application Store" or "App Market" or something like that every other company would want to jump on that term as well because Apple was there first.
IMO there is nothing wrong with names like "Zune Marketplace" and the only reason it sucks is because it's not "App Store". I don't even know what any competitor would want to call their store an App Store... when I google the term "Appstore" it wants to correct it to "App Store" and the entire first page of results referenced Apple. At least if i search the term "Marketplace" I can find links to Microsofts store on the first page.
You must not read many headlines. Apple rarely sues anyone but is often the target of lawsuits.
Thats how it is though in these big tech companies, if your not suing you're getting sued.
Sigh, iditiots continue past education at some point. Agency theory indicates that if Apple owns and controls iOS, then iOS steps into the shoes of Apple.
And the apostrophe 's' can mean indication of certain plurals of lowercase letters, like the s following what is being possessed.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
Got to love the armchair business tycoons criticising a company for protecting it's assets. Hilarious.
Got to love the armchair business tycoons criticising a company for protecting it's assets. Hilarious.
Go Apple, GO!
Tiffany & Co has trademarked a colour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Blue)
and apparently ANZ Bank, Coke etc. Its possible, maybe Apple white is?
The colour purple was as attempted trademark by Cadbury chocolate but lost.
Apple INVENTED the app store, as well as the phrase/term/trend/whatever. Apple will win this hands down.
What a load of crap !
Like ford trademarking the term "Automobile" after making the model-T ...
Shut up Apple and play nice.
Trademark "Shoe store"
Or "Clothing Store"
You can't trademark a description.
I'm going to trademark the color Red
and YES ...There are reference's to Applications being called APPs in Various Microsoft related materials Way before Apple started the APP Store.
This is going to be a pathetic fight.
Tiffany & Co has trademarked a colour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Blue)
and apparently ANZ Bank, Coke etc. Its possible, maybe Apple white is?
The colour purple was as attempted trademark by Cadbury chocolate but lost.
Apple INVENTED the app store, as well as the phrase/term/trend/whatever. Apple will win this hands down.
I assume you're being facetious, but honestly I don't think I ever used the term "app" until Apple started it. It was always "program", "software" or "application"... Or maybe I've just had my iPhone for so long now I forgot what life was like before it.
Apple Computer sold computers at the time, Apple Records sold record albums...
The App Store sells mobile applications. The Amazon AppStore sells mobile applications. See what I did there?
I didn't know Apple Computer existed in 1968 and used an apple for a logo. Funny how things change, isn't it?
I think you're splitting hairs with that argument. It's true that what you download from the app store has a *.ipa extension, not *.app, but that's really just a zip file container for the app itself plus some metadata. Rename it to *.zip, then unzip it. Open the resulting folder and open the Payload folder. What do you find in there? *.app... Ok, it's technically a package, which is really just a folder, it's not the actual binary executable file. But if THAT's your argument, I think you're just being pedantic. For all intents and purposes both Mac and iOS applications are "*.app"s, and to argue otherwise is just being silly.
Flame on, if you want, but you're just wrong - I won't be checking back on this thread anyway...
Are Apple going to sue over this?
Imac Fantasy Hamster Cage
http://www.allaboutmice.co.uk/product-reviews-imac-fantasy-hamster-cage/
http://www.animalsource.co.uk/imac-fantasy-hamster-cage---extension-kits-available-618-p.asp
Imac Fantasy Hamster Cage
http://www.allaboutmice.co.uk/product-reviews-imac-fantasy-hamster-cage/
http://www.animalsource.co.uk/imac-fantasy-hamster-cage---extension-kits-available-618-p.asp
Sound more like Apple is. "App Store" come on now, that trademark should never have been given. This is one broken system.
Yes and if we think this is crazy imagine how bad its going to get when they can't come up with new words.
Last edited by a moderator:
Anheuser-Busch vs. TicketBud
Reminds me of a case where Anheuser-Busch attempted to sue TicketBud for using "Bud" in the name. Busch lost in court to TicketBud and the name remains. I don't think Apple can pull it off, but when you got all that dough, why not try, right?
Reminds me of a case where Anheuser-Busch attempted to sue TicketBud for using "Bud" in the name. Busch lost in court to TicketBud and the name remains. I don't think Apple can pull it off, but when you got all that dough, why not try, right?