Deno Challenges Oracle’s 'JavaScript' Trademark in Landmark Legal Petition
Nov/28/2024
On November 22, 2024, Deno filed a petition with the USPTO to cancel Oracle’s trademark for 'JavaScript,' aiming to liberate the term from legal restrictions and establish it as a public domain asset. If successful, the move would enable widespread community usage, such as the renaming of events like 'JavaScript Conference' and adopting 'JavaScript Specification' over 'ECMAScript'. Deno’s petition argues that Oracle neither controls nor meaningfully uses the term in commerce. Notably, Oracle presented Node.js, unrelated to its operations, as proof of commercial usage. Under U.S. law, trademarks unused for three consecutive years are considered abandoned, a criterion Deno asserts Oracle has met. Backed by over 14,000 developers, including JavaScript’s creator Brendan Eich, the petition seeks to end Oracle’s claim to the language’s name, calling it an essential tool in modern programming rather than a brand. Oracle must respond by January 4, 2025, or risk default and likely cancellation of the trademark. The visualisation below shows detailed information about the trademark in question, shedding light on its history and Oracle’s claims of usage.
