Microsoft opposes Apple's App Store trademark

Recently, Microsoft filed a formal petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office demanding that Apple not register the "App Store" trademark.

As a reminder, Apple launched its app store for iPhone and iPod touch back in 2008, and filed for this trademark back then. Apple currently uses this name in all advertising campaigns, although it has not yet been officially registered.

This name, which is used in all advertising materials, is not yet officially registered. In 2008, there were no similar App Stores on the market, and Apple's plans were quite clear. Apparently, the company already realized back then that such a brand and the concept itself would have potential.

Microsoft representatives are confident that each word and the phrase itself are too widely used and cannot be owned by a single company. After all, as is well known, US law prohibits the registration of trademarks that contain commonly used words.

The phrase "App Store" can be interpreted in various ways, including both "app store" ("store" - store, "apps" - applications) and Apple's store. After the store's launch, other companies were forced to come up with other names for their stores to avoid confusion. Apple's store is considered the most diverse in the app market. Users are offered over 300,000 different apps, while Windows Marketplace for Windows Phone 7 offers only 5,500 titles.