A similarly-named Minneapolis bookstore .has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Internet marketer Amazon.com.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, claims that Amazon Bookstore, Inc. has continuously used the name “Amazon” as a trademark since it was founded in 1970, and that Amazon Bookstore owns trademark rights to Amazon Bookstore.
The suit also claims that Amazon.com is infringing upon Amazon Bookstore’s property rights in its trademark, and causing confusion among its customers as to the affiliation of Amazon Bookstore and the source of its products.
The lawsuit also seeks to cancel Amazon.com’s federal trade mark registrations using the word “Amazon.”
According to the Bookstore’s attorney Mathias W. Samuel the complaint alleges: “The rapid growth and vast size of Amazon.com, along with its massive marketing expenditures, is overwhelming Amazon Bookstore and negating its attempts to alleviate the confusion and preserve its unique identity.”
Amazon.com spokesman Paul Capelli declined to comment.
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