( Fast Company ) -- Amazon just revealed its own specially curated version of the Android Marketplace , but has chosen to label it the `` Appstore . '' Apple , in turn , has now sued Android for trademark violation . The move is a not-so-subtle shot across Amazon 's bows . The suit was filed last week , but has emerged at more or less the same time as Amazon 's official unveiling Tuesday of its Android Appstore -- Amazon 's version of the free-for-all Google Android Marketplace that , on launch , contains 3,800 apps . It will operate under similar constraints , controls and profit sharing with developers as Apple 's version , in the hopes that it will be distinguished from other Android app markets by being `` safer '' and containing higher quality apps . But it 's the name Amazon 's chosen ( the Amazon Appstore ) that 's got Apple rattled . Apple filed a trademark protection over the phrase `` App Store '' after the release of the iPhone 3G , making what an independent observer may deem a sensible business move -- especially since the App Store is now earning Apple a slight profit , and its archive of apps for iPhone and iPad ( and now the Mac too ) is an incredibly potent advertising lever . As a result , the computer giant is now suing to prevent Amazon from using the phrase `` Appstore '' in any way , including marketing , and is also seeking damages . The accusation is that it 's a direct trademark infringement that may `` confuse and mislead customers '' according to an Apple spokesperson , which is the kind of half-true legal phrase often trotted out in cases like this . The App Store label is a big bone of contention to many folk at the moment . Back in January , Microsoft postured against Apple 's trademark , and has asked the USPTO to void Apple 's trademark request on the grounds that the phrase `` 'app store ' '' is generic for retail store services featuring apps and unregistrable for ancillary services such as searching for and downloading apps from such stores . '' Microsoft was moving to protect its plans for Windows Phone 7 app store sales , and seemed ignorant of the irony in its request -- as you may recall , MS 's best-selling product is dubbed `` Windows , '' which would definitely seem an arbitrary label and has a very precisely-defined generic use in computing environments that long predates MS 's use of it . But what 's Apple really trying to do here ? One may suspect that Apple is actually mostly peeved that Amazon is trying to leverage off Apple 's own successful brand to push sales of a rival smartphone and tablet PC platform -- Android . The two companies have a complex friend-and-foe relationship , and Amazon 's Kindle e-book reader app is prominent in the iPad ( and iPhone ) App Stores , while its Kindle e-reader device is almost pitched as a direct competitor to the iPad . The move to defend Apple 's trademark indicates that Apple will act to aggressively protect its App Store ecosystem from challengers , which may include any plans Amazon has to expand its Google Android efforts . Copyright © 2010 FastCompany.com , a unit of Mansueto Ventures , LLC . All rights reserved .
The name Microsoft 's chosen -- the Android Marketplace -- has got Apple rattled . Apple filed a trademark protection over the phrase `` App Store '' in Tuesday , Apple postured against Apple 's trademark .