Apple Forces Amazon Appstore to Close Its Doors on Android Developers in Germany

Developers in Germany can no longer submit or register new Android applications in the Amazon Appstore because Apple has taken legal action in Germany to prevent Amazon from using the term “Appstore.”

Amazon confirmed the ban on new submissions that German developer Dirk Jackel reported on Twitter and Hacker News.

“We believe Apple’s claim is without merit and are actively contesting it,” Howard B. from the Amazon Appstore Account Team wrote in an email to LAUNCH. “We hope to begin accepting registrations and apps from German developers again soon.”

Dirk, an Android developer who also co-hosts a German podcast about Android, posted his notice from Amazon to Pastebin: "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.”

LAUNCH has contacted Dirk for comment but has not received a response.

So far developers from other countries do not appear to have been affected. The Amazon Appstore developer FAQ page has not been updated to reflect the situation in Germany.

In July, a U.S. judge denied Apple’s request for an injunction against Amazon for using the term “App Store.” A trial date is set for October 2012 in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California.


FURTHER READING:

“Judge rejects Apple bid for injunction against Amazon” (Reuters, July 6, 2011)