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The Apple, Amazon battle over "app store" continues

Amazon and Apple are facing off in an Oakland courtroom in a case that could decide whether Apple has the exclusive rights to the term "App Store." According to a report in Electronista, Amazon argues that the term is generic, while Apple claims it was "the first successful brand" in this market and that people associate the term with the company's iOS devices.

Apple popularized the term "App Store" when it launched its iTunes App Store in 2008. The iOS App Store took off and other platforms adopted a similar model of selling mobile apps. Google created the Amazon Market for its Android apps and changed the name of its app store to the Google Play Store earlier this year. Amazon launched its Appstore for Android in early 2011 and was quickly sued by Apple over this choice of a name.