Uproar in Python Developer Community over Trademark Issue
Ever since Python programming language has been introduced, the PSF, short for Python Software Foundation, has ensured that this programming language remains open source. But this status was recently threatened when a UK based company applied for a trademark for the name ‘Python’ for offering its cloud services. If this EU zone trademark is issued, Python developers cannot use the Python name for marketing purposes since they will be violating trademark laws. If you are aspiring to be a Python developer and enrolling in Python training courses, this is an issue that you should keep an eye on. For it is sure to have a significant impact on marketing the Python software that you intend to work on.
About Our Holdings
The company that is in the middle of this trademark storm is called Our Holdings, a UK based company with its headquarters located in Watford. The company has started offering cloud based services and incidentally, they have named their service as Python. The company’s services are accessible through its site, Python.co.uk. To establish their services, the company applied for a trademark in the name of Python for the EU zone.
What Happens If EU Zone Trademark Is Approved?
In the event the EU zone trademark for the name of Python is approved, companies in the EU zone that offer hosting services and any other associated services cannot use the name of Python for marketing services. They would be infringing the trademark of Our Holdings while doing so. This has miffed Python developers who were using the name of the programming language without any issues till now, as it was an open source language.
Python Already Trademarked to PSF?
In 2012, the former chairman of the Python Software Foundation (PSF), Steve Holden, had apparently communicated with Our Holdings about this issue. He had claimed that the name ‘Python’ is already a registered trademark of the PSF. If Our Holdings applied for another trademark, they would be infringing PSF’s trademark agreement. However, the details about this communication and the fact whether Python name is trademarked or not is unclear to many people.
Our Holdings Still Holding the Trademark Application Active
A representative from Our Holdings issued a statement recently, stating that the company will continue to fight for the trademark, unless the PSF showed valid documents about the name of Python being already trademarked. But the PSF has not reacted to this statement. Only vague reports through anonymous sources are all we have to rely on at this point of time.
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