Oracle Faces Legal Battle Over Controversial 'JavaScript' Trademark
Feb/06/2025
Oracle is embroiled in a legal dispute with Deno, the company behind a formal petition to cancel Oracle’s 'JavaScript' trademark, arguing that the term is a generic, open standard not controlled by Oracle. The controversy escalated when Deno’s founder, who also created Node.js, revealed that Oracle had used a screenshot of the Node.js website—without any affiliation—to renew its trademark in 2019, prompting allegations of fraud. Oracle has responded with a motion to dismiss, focusing solely on the fraud claim and sidestepping the broader issue of whether 'JavaScript' should even be trademarked. Oracle contends that the Node.js screenshot was merely one of two specimens submitted, downplaying its relevance while refusing to address the ethical implications. Critics argue that Oracle’s legal maneuvering delays the core debate about its right to the trademark, given the company’s lack of involvement in JavaScript’s creation, governance, or evolution. The case has sparked broader concerns in the tech community over whether corporations should retain trademarks on widely-used technologies they neither developed nor maintain, with many viewing Oracle’s stance as an abuse of the trademark system. The visualisation below shows detailed information about the trademark in question, shedding light on its history and Oracle’s claims of usage.
