Deno vs. Oracle: Deno raises $200,000 in battle for JavaScript trademark
To gather further evidence that JavaScript is no longer a brand name, Deno is launching a fundraising campaign.
(Image: Chokniti Khongchum/Shutterstock.com)
In the battle against the JavaScript brand name—owned by Oracle—the manufacturer of the JavaScript runtime Deno is now collecting donations in an online campaign. The trademark dispute in the US has entered the “discovery” phase, in which Deno must now gather evidence that JavaScript has become public domain, i.e., that it is used in public as a generic term for the language and not as a trademark of Oracle.
In the GoFundMe campaign, Deno is now attempting to raise $200,000. The company needs the money for surveys, expert opinions, and statements to substantiate that the public does not associate JavaScript with Oracle. The company also wants to use the money to cover legal costs and donate whatever is left over to OpenJS: “The money will not go to Deno,” the company promises in its blog.
Deno filed the cancellation request with the US Patent and Trademark Office in November 2024, and Oracle objected to it in August 2025.
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