GetJar to Apple: Steve Jobs Isn’t Our Dad, We’ll Continue to Use “App Store” in Our Name, kthxbai
Amazon isn’t the only company standing up to the bullying of Apple in courts regarding the use of the phrase “App Store” to describe their application store for mobile devices. GetJar also uses “App Store” to describe their service and are one of many companies, big and small, to be attacked by the big, bad, rotten fruit. I simply can’t do the full quote justice so here is an except from their blog posting:
“…GetJar won’t be subject to this kind of bullying. We’re not going to “Cease & Desist”. We were here long before Steve & Co. We were built by developers, to help developers. Not to help sell handsets or search results. In the words of Twisted Sister: We’re not going to take it! Steve Jobs isn’t our Dad.”
As unpopular as they may be compared to the Amazon App Store or the horse’s mouth (the Android market), they are right. They have been here longer. But I’m going to guess that that means nothing in the face of a patent lawsuit when GetJar clearly didn’t begin using the phrase until recent years.
The timing of this statement is also odd. Amazon has already gotten the legal ball against Apple rolling. While that case isn’t over, Amazon has gained a temporary victory as the courts have not granted Apple’s request to have others using the phrase “App Store” and variations of it banned. It’s only temporary because the next hearing regarding this matter won’t be held until October 2012.
It seems like GetJar was just laying in the wait, delaying their stance until Amazon, a corporation who I assume has more clout and a bigger, more expensive legal team, did the dirty work for everyone else. That’s not to take anything away from GetJar, though – it’s still quite ballsy. Go get ’em, GetJar! [Thanks, Fayez!]