Apple seems to be making a habit of going after companies that use the phrase “app store.” Earlier this week the company filed a suit against Amazon for infringing on Apple’s App Store trademark with the launch of the Amazon Appstore. Now it turns out that the company has also sent a cease & desist letter to MiKandi.
MiKandi is a store that lets you purchase and download adult-themed apps for mobile phones. That’s a category that Apple, Android, and other mainstream app marketplaces have filtered out of their family-friendly app directories.
The problem, as far as Apple is concerned, is that MiKandi refers to itself as an “app store” for adults. I think the odds of anyone actually confusing MiKandi with Apple’s App Store are pretty slim. Not only are most of the apps available from MiKandi’s service unavailable in the App Store — but MiKandi is currently aimed at Android devices, not iOS.
via GeekWire
“App Store” is just like saying “Gas Station” or “Grocery Store”. Apple is out of their mind to think they can patent and sue people for using it.