Apple lawsuit hits Amazon in Germany

Regular Kitguru readers will be aware that Amazon and Apple are currently involved in legal wrangles over the term ‘App Store', with Apple claiming they should have exclusive rights to use the phrase.

While early injunctions have failed, Apple have apparently caused problems for Google in Germany as they have stopped accepting new apps from developers because of Apple's legal action.

Amazon sent an email to German App developers, which SplatF obtained.

Subject: Important Notice for Germany Based Developers

Dear Amazon Appstore Developer,

Thank you for your participation in the Amazon Appstore for Android.  We wanted to notify you of a recent change to your Developer Portal account; for the time being, we are not accepting new app submissions from developers located in Germany.  We have been forced to impose this restriction due to a legal action filed by Apple in Germany seeking to prevent us from using the term “appstore.”  We believe Apple’s claim is without merit and are actively contesting it.

When you log into your Developer Portal account, you will notice that the options to add new apps have been removed. We hope to begin accepting new apps from German developers again soon and will notify you as soon as we are able to do so.

We appreciate your patience and your continued interest in the Amazon Appstore for Android.

Thank you,

Amazon Appstore Account Team

Kitguru says: The battle continues.

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