Apple And Amazon End Legal Row Over Apps

Apple and Amazon logos
Apple has abandoned its efforts to claim the term 'app store' as its own.
The tech firm confirmed it had dropped its two-year lawsuit against rival Amazon for using the term - two years after filing the case in California.
The suit had claimed that Amazon's use of Appstore - its online shop for mobile gadget applications - infringed Apple's rights for its App Store, where it sells products for iPads and iPhones.
The court order dismissing the case was signed in the federal court where Apple had launched the action in 2011.
It had been scheduled to go to trial in August but was cancelled at the companies' request though Martin Glick, a lawyer for Amazon, who said: "This was a decision by Apple to unilaterally abandon the case, and leave Amazon free to use 'appstore.'"
An Amazon statement said: "We look forward to continuing our focus on delivering the best possible Appstore experience to customers and developers."
Apple responded: "With more than 900,000 apps and 50 billion downloads, customers know where they can purchase their favourite apps.
"We no longer see a need to pursue our case against Amazon."
Earlier this year, US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled that Apple had failed to establish that Amazon made any false statement or had deceived customers.
Apple had launched its App Store in 2008 while Amazon opened its online marketplace in 2011 for its Android-powered Kindle tablets.