Trademark issues

The PostgreSQL community is currently battling a trademark issue with Fundación PostgreSQL. This article details the timeline of the dispute as well as various courts' findings.

Actors

The following parties are involved in this dispute:

• Core Team (Official Site)
• Fundación PostgreSQL (Official Site)
• PGCA: PostgreSQL Community Association (Official Site)
• PGEU: PostgreSQL Europe (Official Site)

The following legal entities are presiding over this dispute:

• EUIPO: European Union Intellectual Property Office (Official Site)
• OEPM: Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (Official Site)
• USPTO: United States Patent and Trademark Office (Official Site)

Timeline

• 2003-07-17, PGCA's POSTGRESQL trademark is registered in Canada (originally by PostgreSQL Inc.).
• 2011-05-30, The PostgreSQL Community Association of Canada (PGCAC) is registered as an NPO in Canada to steward the PostgreSQL Projects assets (domain names, trademarks etc) at the request of the PostgreSQL Core Team.
• 2018-04-17, PGEU's POSTGRESQL CONFERENCE trademark is registered in the EU/UK.
• 2018-04-20, PGEU's POSTGRES CONFERENCE trademark is registered in the EU/UK.
• 2018-08-15, PGCA's POSTGRES trademark is registered in the EU/UK.
• 2018-08-15, PGCA's POSTGRESQL trademark is registered in the EU/UK.
• 2018-08-15, PGCA's POSTGRES trademark is registered in the USA.
• 2018-08-15, PGCA's POSTGRESQL trademark is registered in the USA.
• 2020-04-27, Fundación PostgreSQL registers EU trademark for POSTGRESQL (EUIPO)
• 2020-04-27, Fundación PostgreSQL registers EU trademark for POSTGRESQL COMMUNITY (EUIPO)
• 2020-10-06, PGCA files EUIPO opposition for POSTGRESQL trademark
• 2020-10-06, PGEU files EUIPO opposition for POSTGRESQL trademark
• 2020-10-20, Fundación PostgreSQL registers Spanish trademark for POSTGRES (OEPM)
• 2020-11-10, Fundación PostgreSQL publishes blog post: Is it time to modernize the processes, structure and governance of the PostgreSQL Core Team? (Fundación PostgreSQL) (Archive link, including changes)
  • This blog posting includes the following statement: "100% of the current Core team members are white men. All of the Core members are either US or European. No other region is represented. All but one Core member work for US companies."
• 2020-12-15, Core Team publishes article: New Trademark Policy and Recognised User Group Guidelines (PostgreSQL.org)
• 2021-02-16, Fundación PostgreSQL registers EU trademark for "POSTGRES" (EUIPO)
• 2021-03-21, PGCA files EUIPO opposition for POSTGRESQL COMMUNITY trademark
• 2021-03-21, PGEU files EUIPO opposition for POSTGRESQL COMMUNITY trademark
• 2021-06-25, Fundación PostgreSQL registers Spanish trademark for POSTGRES
• 2021-09-13, Core Team and PGCA publish article: Trademark Actions Against the PostgreSQL Community (PostgreSQL.org)
• 2021-09-14, Fundación PostgreSQL publishes blog post: Respecting the majority, questioning the status quo as a minority (Fundación PostgreSQL) (Archive link, including changes)
  • This blog posting includes the following statement: "we have informed the Core Team that effective immediately Fundación PostgreSQL has unanimously passed a resolution to start the process to transfer, permanently and irrevocably, all PostgreSQL-related trademarks and domain names to the PostgreSQL Association of Canada, with no conditions or costs attached" (2021-09-14)
• 2021-09-21, Fundación PostgreSQL publishes blog post: Postgres Core Team launches unprecedented attack against the Postgres Community (Fundación PostgreSQL) (Archive link, including changes)
• 2021-10-20, PGCA files EUIPO opposition for POSTGRES trademark
• 2021-10-20, PGEU files EUIPO opposition for POSTGRES trademark
• 2022-04-12, PGCA publishes article: Update on the Trademark Actions Against the PostgreSQL Community
• 2022-06-10, Fundación PostgreSQL publishes blog post: Re: Update on the Trademark Actions (Fundación PostgreSQL) (Archive link, including changes)
• 2022-06-23, the Spanish courts invalidate the infringing POSTGRESQL and POSTGRESQL COMMUNITY trademark registrations.
• 2022-10-05, Fundación PostgreSQL publishes blog post: PostgreSQL Trademarks Disagreement: Proposing a Solution (Fundación PostgreSQL) (Archive link, including changes)
• 2023-05-09, The USPTO gives final rejection of Fundación PostgreSQL's POSTGRES trademark in the USA
• 2023-05-09, The USPTO gives final rejection of Fundación PostgreSQL's POSTGRESQL trademark in the USA
• 2023-05-09, The USPTO gives final rejection of Fundación PostgreSQL's POSTGRESQL COMMUNITY trademark in the USA
• 2023-07-11, PGCA publishes article: Update on Continued Trademark Actions Against the PostgreSQL Community (PostgreSQL.org)
• 2023-07-24, Fundación PostgreSQL publishes blog post claiming that PostgreSQL is trying to "shut down" the Ibiza conference. (Fundación PostgreSQL) (Archive link, including changes)
• 2023-07-27, PGCA publishes article: Setting the record straight: More updates on a trademark dispute (PostgreSQL.org)
• 2023-12-06, PGCA publishes article: Updates on trademark actions against the PostgreSQL community

See Also

• 2020-11-11 Hacker News reshare of blog post (Archive link, including changes)
• 2021-09-13 Hacker News discussion (Archive link, including changes)
  • Comment includes the following statement: "And Core is not even a non-profit, it's nothing (there's no legal entity behind). Or the PostgreSQL Association of Canada, which is an association which could definitely grant exclusive trademark use to a given entity, as it is not scrutinized by a country's Ministry, as a Fundación in Spain is." [1]
  • Comment includes the following statement: "We believed this form of a non-profit is much stronger and better to protect a Community like Postgres from potential rogue actors. As an aside, we contemplate honorary (non-voting) members. We believe is a good thing. I'd also propose the same for Core --I believe at least Bruce Momjian should be named as such." [2]
  • Comment includes the following statement: "I agree that we need to enhance the [Fundación PostgreSQL] website and give more visibility to the people behind the foundation. We will do so shortly." [3]
  • Comment includes the following statement: "I have personally voiced many concerns about different aspects of the governance and workings of the Community. And in 2019 a very clear and significant case was raised when some dispute over IP (a domain name) surfaced. In this case, we declined used of the domain name following Core's request, but raised --again-- concerns over the governance of Postgres." [4]
• 2021-09-13 LWN discussion (Archive link, including changes)
• 2023-07-27 Hacker News discussion (Archive link, including changes)