Can Oracle's JavaScript Trademark Be Challenged?

JavaScript, the ubiquitous language of the web, is at the center of a trademark dispute. Oracle, having inherited the trademark from Sun Microsystems (who acquired it from Netscape), is facing a challenge from prominent figures in the JavaScript community, including the language’s creator, Brendan Eich, and the creator of Node.js and Deno, Ryan Dahl.

This isn’t a new fight. The unusual history of the name “JavaScript” (originally “Mocha,” then “LiveScript,” and finally “JavaScript” due to a licensing agreement with Sun, riding on the popularity of Java) has long been a source of confusion. The standardization of the language as “ECMAScript” further complicated matters, as “JavaScript” remained a trademarked name held by Sun, and later Oracle, after its acquisition of Sun in 2009.