In 2008, Apple submitted an application for the registration of the name AppStore as a trademark for the application store intended for iDevices. Until now, the request was in the verification stage and Microsoft submitted a motion yesterday asking the commission to reject the request from Apple. Microsoft stands up that the term AppStore is a generic one used in the everyday language of most people, so it cannot be registered as a trademark by a company. Microsoft claims that this name will be used by several smartphone manufacturers for the application stores intended for these gadgets, so it should be a loose term.
App store' is a generic name that Apple should not be allowed to usurp for its exclusive use. Competitors should be free to use 'app store' to identify their own stores and the services offered in conjunction with those stores.
Verizon, Vodafone, Amazon and other manufacturers are planning to launch app stores for Android devices in the near future and Microsoft is using this to try to block the registration of the AppStore name as a trademark by Apple. Microsoft probably managed to block this registration and Apple will have to share this name with the rest of the manufacturers who woke up a little later that they want to make virtual application stores.
