Apple, Amazon ordered to settle 'app store' suit

Since March 2011, Apple has been battling Amazon in court over the use of the name App Store. In an order handed down yesterday, Judge Elizabeth LaPorte told the two companies that she wants them to sit down and negotiate a settlement. The pair are scheduled to meet on March 21st, says a report in iPodNN.

Apple filed its App Store trademark infringement lawsuit against Amazon shortly after the retail giant launched its app store for Android devices. Apple claimed Amazon's "Appstore" would confuse customers and make them think it was an Apple sanctioned store.

Apple owns a trademark on "App Store" and "Appstore" in the UK, while a US application for the term is currently pending approval at the USPTO.