Python Software Foundation in trademark fight in Europe

The Python Software Foundation (PSF) is calling for help from companies in Europe to help with a trademark problem with a UK company. The PSF is the US-based non-profit charged with protecting the intellectual property surrounding the Python language. This is the first time that the PSF has engaged in any legal action regarding the Python name.

According to a post by chairman Van Lindberg on the Python Software Foundation News blog, the non-profit is setting out to oppose an EU community trademark application for the name "Python" for all computer-related uses, but needs the help of the Python community to do so.

Thirteen years ago, Veber acquired the python.co.uk domain. The PSF say they were not looking at trademark issues at the time and for most of its life, the domain forwarded traffic on to the parent company sites, veber.co.uk and pobox.co.uk. Veber has now decided to name its server products with the "Python" name and when the PSF approached them to discuss the issue, they apparently responded by filing the EU-wide trademark application.

To fight the application, the PSF's legal counsel in the UK are looking to establish the consistent use, by companies, of Python-branded software in the various member states of the EU and are appealing for brief statements on company letterheads explaining how companies have used the Python name to refer to the language. It is also seeking PDF scans any publications – books, pamphlets, conference programmes, job listings, magazines – which show the Python mark being used to refer to the language. Any appropriate submissions should be sent to psf-trademarks@python.org.

(djwm)