#trademark-dispute

#trademark-dispute

Automattic has filed new counterclaims against hosting company WP Engine in a long-running dispute over the use of the WordPress and WooCommerce brands. Automattic manages WordPress.com and WooCommerce, among other things. It is also closely linked to the development of WordPress. Automattic claims that since being acquired by investment firm Silver Lake, WP Engine has undermined the trust that has been built up over decades around WordPress and the open-source community.

Ken Biberaj got a surprising call from his lawyer earlier this year, six months after he filed a trademark application for the name of his policy-focused interview podcast, Coffee With Ken. The US Patent and Trademark Office had given its preliminary approval, but now there was a problem: A challenge had been filed, the lawyer said. The objecting party turned out to be Mattel, the maker of Barbie. "Wait, because of the Ken doll? " Biberaj recalls saying.

The lawsuit adds that it is in clear contravention of the general principle of good faith, and of the rules on fair competition and commercial ethics as there is a clear interest in commercial exploitation on the part of the defendant to take advantage of the fame of our client by obtaining a trademark registration that evidently seeks to be related to Pedro Pascal for profit, and on the basis of distracting consumers toward an erroneous commercial origin.

"Yesterday, Oracle filed a motion to dismiss in response to Deno's petition to cancel its 'JavaScript' trademark," Deno Land CEO Dahl said. "But instead of addressing the real issue-that JavaScript is an open standard with multiple independent implementations-Oracle is trying to stall the process and sidestep accountability."