苹果起诉亚马逊‘应用程序商店’侵权

    亚马逊（Amazon）使用“应用程序商店”（appstore）这个词是否侵犯了苹果公司（Apple）的商标权？

    对于这一问题目前仍然存在争论。伊丽莎白•拉波特法官已要求苹果与亚马逊（Amazon）在3月21日会面，解决这个问题。与会者将包括两家公司的法律顾问以及“能全权谈判并和解此案的”高管。如果未能达成协议，双方将于8月19日对簿公堂。

    苹果称，亚马逊的数字软件商店不正当地使用了苹果公司在2011年注册的商标“应用程序商店”。这两家科技巨头素有积怨。苹果公司于2008年7月推出了自己的应用程序商店。作为在iOS用户中大受欢迎的应用平台，应用程序商店上现有100多万款应用。亚马逊于2011年3月推出了针对Android用户的应用平台。

    但亚马逊对其应用平台的市场推广从一开始就让苹果很恼火。苹果称亚马逊使用“应用程序商店”一词属于“虚假宣传”，会使消费者误以为苹果与亚马逊的这一平台有关系，并坚称亚马逊会因此抢走了苹果的生意。

    亚马逊在去年秋季提交给加州奥克兰地方法院的文件中写道，“苹果大概没有声称，其前任及现任首席执行官在公司收益电话会议中，关于其它（公司的）应用商店对数千名投资者做了虚假陈述。恰恰相反，使用‘应用程序商店’这个词来指称销售应用的平台在本行业中是司空见惯的事。”不过，法官于本月早些时候驳回了这一说法。

    现在，这两家公司将就亚马逊使用这个词语是否侵犯了苹果的商标权展开辩论。争论的结果将如何？双方可能终将对簿公堂。（财富中文网）

    译者：项航

    Is Amazon's use of the term "appstore" infringing upon Apple's trademark?

    That's the matter up for contention. Judge Elizabeth Laporte has ordered Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) to convene on March 21 to settle the matter. These talks will include the companies' legal counsel and executives with "full authority to negotiate and settle the case." If an agreement isn't reached, the two go to trial beginning August 19.

    Apple argues that Amazon's digital software storefront is in part an improper use of Apple's "App Store" trademark, filed in 2011. It's just the latest dust-up between the two tech giants. Apple introduced its App Store in July 2008, a popular app destination for iOS users that now features 1 million-plus apps. Amazon launched its own, a collection of Android apps, in March 2011.

    But marketing Amazon's appstore as such rubbed Apple the wrong way almost from the start. Apple claimed Amazon's use of the term was "false advertising," that the situation was confusing to customers who might think Apple was somehow associated with Amazon's venture, and maintained it could result in revenue lost to Amazon.

    "Apple presumably does not contend that its past and current CEOs made false statements regarding to those other app stores to thousands of investors in earnings calls," Amazon said in a filing with the U.S. District Court in Oakland, Calif last fall. "To the contrary, the use of the term 'app store' to refer to stores selling apps is commonplace in the industry." A judge dismissed the claim earlier this month.

    Now, the two will wrestle over whether Amazon's usage of the terms encroaches upon Apple's trademark. The more likely outcome? This fight will also see its day in court.