Oracle, it’s time to free JavaScript
7 days ago
- #JavaScript
- #OpenSource
- #Trademark
- Oracle holds the JavaScript trademark despite not actively using it, causing confusion in the developer community.
- Legal criteria for trademark abandonment include nonuse for 3+ years or the mark becoming a generic term—both apply to JavaScript.
- JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich at Netscape in 1995; Oracle acquired the trademark via Sun Microsystems in 2009.
- Oracle has never built a product under the JavaScript trademark, only peripherally referencing it in tools like GraalVM and JET.
- The term 'JavaScript' is widely used generically, but organizations avoid naming events/products after it due to trademark risks.
- The letter urges Oracle to release the trademark or face a USPTO cancellation petition, supported by developer signatures and legal assistance.