SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft and Apple have each hired linguists to serve as experts in the tech titans’ battle over whether the government can grant a trademark for “app store.”
Microsoft on Tuesday filed its latest argument with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which included the opinions of a linguistic expert who supported the software giant’s argument that “app store” was generic and shouldn’t be trademarked by Apple. “The compound noun app store means simply ‘store at which apps are offered for sale,’ ” which is merely a definition of the thing itself — a generic characterization,” linguist Ronald Butters wrote.
Apple’s linguistic expert, Robert Leonard, asserted that the electronics giant’s “App Store” was a proper noun and deserved to be trademarked, even though the words are generic when separated.
Dow Jones Newswires
