Amazon is taking on Apple on yet another front, launching their own Appstore for Android-based devices, offering the new Angry Birds Rio as their “free app of the day” -- but the launch is shadowed by an Apple lawsuit over the bookseller’s use of the term “Appstore.”
Amazon debuted its long-rumored Amazon Appstore for Android on Tuesday, kicking off the event with a free download of the new Angry Birds Rio as today’s “free app of the day.” While the Amazon Appstore is itself a free Android app that positions itself as an alternative to Google Marketplace, Amazon is also prominently featuring the Appstore on its website where potential buyers can browse in the comfort of their Mac or PC, then have the app sent directly to their mobile phone.
Unfortunately, the launch is off to a rocky start. As noted on Amazon’s website, Android phones and tablets on AT&T are presently excluded from the fun. “If you have an AT&T phone or tablet, you currently can't install the Amazon Appstore or purchase apps from it,” Amazon notes. “AT&T is working to allow customers to install the Amazon Appstore and purchase apps from it. To sign up to be notified by AT&T when you are able to install the Amazon Appstore on AT&T phones and tablets, visit the AT&T website.”
More troubling for Amazon is the news that Apple has filed legal action against the e-tailer, claiming the company’s use of the term “Appstore” has resulted in “trademark infringement and unfair competition.” The lawsuit was filed on March 18, but only became public on Monday night, hours before the Amazon Appstore opened for business.
“Amazon has begun improperly using Apple’s App Store mark in connection with Amazon’s mobile-software developer program,” Apple said in the complaint, made public last night by Bloomberg. “Amazon has unlawfully used the App Store mark to solicit software developers throughout the United States.”
The move comes on the heels of a similar lawsuit against Microsoft, which is still pending. Apple filed for a trademark on the term “App Store” in the United States, with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office having already approved the application.
In the meantime, even non-Android users can browse the virtual shelves of the Amazon Appstore to see what they’re missing out on -- although the front page eerily resembles Apple’s own iOS App Store, full of familiar titles such as Angry Birds, Twitter, Zagat to Go, Urbanspoon, Zillow Real Estate and other apps that have made the iTunes-based store such a hit in the first place.
Before iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users get jealous, Angry Birds Rio also debuted on the iOS App Store Tuesday, available in both regular and HD (iPad-only) editions. Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay to play...
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