Amazon AppStore Ceases Accepting Apps From German Developers

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Amazon’s defense over its AppStore name scored a success in the US when courts declined to grant Apple’s request for a preliminary injunction over a supposed trademark infringement. But in Germany, it’s a different story.

German Android app developers have been receiving notifications from Amazon that they are currently not accepting submissions from within the country. This is due to legal action that Apple has initiated from within Germany.

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

Note that the Amazon AppStore only accepts application downloads and purchases from within the US. However, developers from other regions and countries can still submit Android apps for consideration and inclusion within the AppStore. While this is not really a significant legal win in terms of Apple’s claim over the “App Store” trademark, it certainly does result in some inconvenience to Amazon and its developers.

What what will happen if and when Amazon AppStore opens in other countries for app sales? Will Apple be able to block AppStore in those regions, as well?