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Apple Inc. is suing Amazon.com Inc., saying the online retailer is using Apple's "App Store" trademark to sell software applications for mobile devices.
Apple, in a Friday complaint in a northern California federal court, accused Amazon.com of trademark infringement and unfair competition. The company asked for a judge's order to prevent the company from using the "App Store" name and for unspecified damages.
"Amazon has begun improperly using Apple's App Store mark in connection with Amazon's mobile-software developer program," Apple said in the complaint. Amazon also plans to use the name with a mobile-software download service, the complaint states.
Apple's App Store offers downloads of software programs from the company and third-party developers to users of its iPhones, iPod media players and iPad tablet computers. There have been more than 10 billion downloads through the service since it began in 2008, Apple said in the complaint.
"We have a long-standing practice of not commenting on pending litigation," Mary Osako, a spokeswoman for Seattle- based Amazon, said.
Amazon began using the App Store designation around the beginning of this year, according to the lawsuit. Apple claimed that Amazon expanded its use of the trademark recently in advertising a software product on its website called Angry Birds Rio. Angry Birds is the name of a popular game in Apple's App Store.
"Amazon has unlawfully used the App Store mark to solicit software developers throughout the United States," Apple claimed.
Apple said in the court filing it contacted Amazon three times to demand that it cease using the name and that Amazon hadn't "provided a substantive response."
"We've asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers," said Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Apple.
Apple applied to register App Store as a trademark in the U.S., and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the application, Apple said in the lawsuit.
Microsoft Corp. opposes the registration and the matter will be the subject of proceedings before a trademark appeal board, according to the court filing.
Amazon fell $1.93, or 1.2 percent, to $162.60 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Apple jumped $1.90, or 0.6 percent, to $341.20.