Amazon bringing Appstore service to Europe

Amazon is planning to extend its Appstore mobile service to five European countries including the UK.

The company said that France, Germany, Spain and Italy would be joining the UK in gaining access to the software download service. Amazon is currently accepting developer submissions and the service is set to open to the public later this year.

The Appstore platform, which is distributed by the company through its online retail platform, allows users to browse, purchase and download Android applications. The service supports a number of handsets and tablets including Amazon's own Kindle line.

The service had previously been limited to the US.

"We are excited to open the door to even more opportunity by expanding app sales outside the US," said Amazon Appstore vice president Jim Adkins.

"We see tremendous potential for current developers in our distribution programme to grow with the international expansion."

Though the service has yet to hit Europe, the Appstore name made international headlines last year when Apple filed a suit against Amazon over the service.

The iPhone maker claimed that Amazon's "Appstore" brand infringed on its "App Store" mobile software service. The claim by Apple to the "App Store" term has been countered by others, including Microsoft on the grounds that the term is far too general to be trademarked.