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The Register's Thomas Claburn reports: Oracle this week asked the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to partially dismiss a challenge to its JavaScript trademark. The move has been criticized as an attempt to either stall or water down legal action against the database goliath over the programming language's name. Deno Land, the outfit behind the Deno JavaScript runtime, filed a petition with the USPTO back in November in an effort to make the trademarked term available to the JavaScript community. This legal effort is led by Node.js creator and Deno Land CEO Ryan Dahl, summarized on the JavaScript.tm website, and supported by more than 16,000 members of the JavaScript community. It aims to remove the fear of an Oracle lawsuit for using the term "JavaScript" in a conference title or business venture.
"Programmers working with JavaScript have formed innumerable community organizations," the website explains. "These organizations, like the standards bodies, have been forced to painstakingly avoid naming the programming language they are built around -- for example, JSConf. Sadly, without risking a legal trademark challenge against Oracle, there can be no 'JavaScript Conference' nor a 'JavaScript Specification.' The world's most popular programming language cannot even have a conference in its name." [...] In the initial trademark complaint, Deno Land makes three arguments to invalidate Oracle's ownership of "JavaScript." The biz claims that JavaScript has become a generic term; that Oracle committed fraud in 2019 when it applied to renew its trademark; and that Oracle has abandoned its trademark because it does not offer JavaScript products or services.
Oracle's motion on Monday focuses on the dismissal of the fraud claim, while arguing that it expects to prevail on the other two claims, citing corporate use of the trademarked term "in connection with a variety of offerings, including its JavaScript Extension Toolkit as well as developer's guides and educational resources, and also that relevant consumers do not perceive JavaScript as a generic term." The fraud claim follows from Deno Land's assertion that the material Oracle submitted in support of its trademark renewal application has nothing to do with any Oracle product. "Oracle, through its attorney, submitted specimens showing screen captures of the Node.js website, a project created by Ryan Dahl, Petitioner's Chief Executive Officer," the trademark cancellation petition says. "Node.js is not affiliated with Oracle, and the use of screen captures of the 'nodejs.org' website as a specimen did not show any use of the mark by Oracle or on behalf of Oracle."
Oracle contends that in fact it submitted two specimens to the USPTO -- a screenshot from the Node.js website and another from its own Oracle JavaScript Extension Toolkit. And this, among other reasons, invalidates the fraud claim, Big Red's attorneys contend. "Where, as here, Registrant 'provided the USPTO with [two specimens]' at least one of which shows use of the mark in commerce, Petitioner cannot plausibly allege that the inclusion of a second, purportedly defective specimen, was material," Oracle's motion argues, adding that no evidence of fraudulent intent has been presented. Beyond asking the court to toss the fraud claim, Oracle has requested an additional thirty days to respond to the other two claims.
"Programmers working with JavaScript have formed innumerable community organizations," the website explains. "These organizations, like the standards bodies, have been forced to painstakingly avoid naming the programming language they are built around -- for example, JSConf. Sadly, without risking a legal trademark challenge against Oracle, there can be no 'JavaScript Conference' nor a 'JavaScript Specification.' The world's most popular programming language cannot even have a conference in its name." [...] In the initial trademark complaint, Deno Land makes three arguments to invalidate Oracle's ownership of "JavaScript." The biz claims that JavaScript has become a generic term; that Oracle committed fraud in 2019 when it applied to renew its trademark; and that Oracle has abandoned its trademark because it does not offer JavaScript products or services.
Oracle's motion on Monday focuses on the dismissal of the fraud claim, while arguing that it expects to prevail on the other two claims, citing corporate use of the trademarked term "in connection with a variety of offerings, including its JavaScript Extension Toolkit as well as developer's guides and educational resources, and also that relevant consumers do not perceive JavaScript as a generic term." The fraud claim follows from Deno Land's assertion that the material Oracle submitted in support of its trademark renewal application has nothing to do with any Oracle product. "Oracle, through its attorney, submitted specimens showing screen captures of the Node.js website, a project created by Ryan Dahl, Petitioner's Chief Executive Officer," the trademark cancellation petition says. "Node.js is not affiliated with Oracle, and the use of screen captures of the 'nodejs.org' website as a specimen did not show any use of the mark by Oracle or on behalf of Oracle."
Oracle contends that in fact it submitted two specimens to the USPTO -- a screenshot from the Node.js website and another from its own Oracle JavaScript Extension Toolkit. And this, among other reasons, invalidates the fraud claim, Big Red's attorneys contend. "Where, as here, Registrant 'provided the USPTO with [two specimens]' at least one of which shows use of the mark in commerce, Petitioner cannot plausibly allege that the inclusion of a second, purportedly defective specimen, was material," Oracle's motion argues, adding that no evidence of fraudulent intent has been presented. Beyond asking the court to toss the fraud claim, Oracle has requested an additional thirty days to respond to the other two claims.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the Associated Press: The website of the Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek, whose chatbot became the most downloaded app in the United States, has computer code that could send some user login information to a Chinese state-owned telecommunications company that has been barred from operating in the United States, security researchers say. The web login page of DeepSeek's chatbot contains heavily obfuscated computer script that when deciphered shows connections to computer infrastructure owned by China Mobile, a state-owned telecommunications company. The code appears to be part of the account creation and user login process for DeepSeek.
In its privacy policy, DeepSeek acknowledged storing data on servers inside the People's Republic of China. But its chatbot appears more directly tied to the Chinese state than previously known through the link revealed by researchers to China Mobile. The U.S. has claimed there are close ties between China Mobile and the Chinese military as justification for placing limited sanctions on the company. [...] The code linking DeepSeek to one of China's leading mobile phone providers was first discovered by Feroot Security, a Canadian cybersecurity company, which shared its findings with The Associated Press. The AP took Feroot's findings to a second set of computer experts, who independently confirmed that China Mobile code is present. Neither Feroot nor the other researchers observed data transferred to China Mobile when testing logins in North America, but they could not rule out that data for some users was being transferred to the Chinese telecom.
The analysis only applies to the web version of DeepSeek. They did not analyze the mobile version, which remains one of the most downloaded pieces of software on both the Apple and the Google app stores. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission unanimously denied China Mobile authority to operate in the United States in 2019, citing "substantial" national security concerns about links between the company and the Chinese state. In 2021, the Biden administration also issued sanctions limiting the ability of Americans to invest in China Mobile after the Pentagon linked it to the Chinese military. "It's mindboggling that we are unknowingly allowing China to survey Americans and we're doing nothing about it," said Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot. "It's hard to believe that something like this was accidental. There are so many unusual things to this. You know that saying 'Where there's smoke, there's fire'? In this instance, there's a lot of smoke," Tsarynny said.
Further reading: Senator Hawley Proposes Jail Time For People Who Download DeepSeek
In its privacy policy, DeepSeek acknowledged storing data on servers inside the People's Republic of China. But its chatbot appears more directly tied to the Chinese state than previously known through the link revealed by researchers to China Mobile. The U.S. has claimed there are close ties between China Mobile and the Chinese military as justification for placing limited sanctions on the company. [...] The code linking DeepSeek to one of China's leading mobile phone providers was first discovered by Feroot Security, a Canadian cybersecurity company, which shared its findings with The Associated Press. The AP took Feroot's findings to a second set of computer experts, who independently confirmed that China Mobile code is present. Neither Feroot nor the other researchers observed data transferred to China Mobile when testing logins in North America, but they could not rule out that data for some users was being transferred to the Chinese telecom.
The analysis only applies to the web version of DeepSeek. They did not analyze the mobile version, which remains one of the most downloaded pieces of software on both the Apple and the Google app stores. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission unanimously denied China Mobile authority to operate in the United States in 2019, citing "substantial" national security concerns about links between the company and the Chinese state. In 2021, the Biden administration also issued sanctions limiting the ability of Americans to invest in China Mobile after the Pentagon linked it to the Chinese military. "It's mindboggling that we are unknowingly allowing China to survey Americans and we're doing nothing about it," said Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot. "It's hard to believe that something like this was accidental. There are so many unusual things to this. You know that saying 'Where there's smoke, there's fire'? In this instance, there's a lot of smoke," Tsarynny said.
Further reading: Senator Hawley Proposes Jail Time For People Who Download DeepSeek
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
During the fourth quarter of 2024, AMD surpassed Intel in datacenter sales for the first time in history -- despite weaker-than-expected sales of its datacenter GPUs. Tom's Hardware reports: AMD's revenue in Q4 2024 totaled $7.658 billion, up 24% year-over-year. The company's gross margin hit 51%, whereas net income was $482 million. On the year basis, 2024 was AMD's best year ever as the company's revenue reached $25.8 billion, up 14% year-over-year. The company earned net income of $1.641 billion as its gross margin hit 49%. But while the company's annual results are impressive, there is something about Q4 results that AMD should be proud of.
Datacenter business was the company's primary source of earnings, with net revenue reaching record $3.86 billion in Q4, marking a 69% year-over-year (YoY) increase and a 9% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) rise. Operating income also saw substantial improvement, surging 74% YoY to $1.16 billion. By contrast, Intel's datacenter and AI business unit posted $3.4 billion revenue, while its operating income reached $200 million. But while the quarter marked a milestone for AMD, market analysts expected AMD to sell more of its Instinct MI300-series GPUs for AI and HPC. You can view AMD's 2024 financial results here.
Datacenter business was the company's primary source of earnings, with net revenue reaching record $3.86 billion in Q4, marking a 69% year-over-year (YoY) increase and a 9% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) rise. Operating income also saw substantial improvement, surging 74% YoY to $1.16 billion. By contrast, Intel's datacenter and AI business unit posted $3.4 billion revenue, while its operating income reached $200 million. But while the quarter marked a milestone for AMD, market analysts expected AMD to sell more of its Instinct MI300-series GPUs for AI and HPC. You can view AMD's 2024 financial results here.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Stueyman has added a photo to the pool:
Lake Goegrup is a shallow, sandy water body that forms part of the Serpentine River system.
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Are you trying to make this easy for China and Russia?
Who bought it, who installed it, and what's happening with the data on it.…
AMSTERDAM (ANP) - De Amsterdamse burgemeester Femke Halsema is gekozen tot de beste lokale bestuurder van 2024. Bestuurders en politici die Halsema nomineerden omschreven haar als "communicatief en daadkrachtig", aldus vaktijdschrift Binnenlands Bestuur dat de verkiezing voor de zestiende keer organiseerde.
Ook waarderen ze haar "standvastigheid, ook onder grote uitdagingen en druk" en zijn ze te spreken over "haar reflecterend vermogen op situaties en eigen optredens".
"Burgemeester Halsema is een voorbeeld voor het openbaar bestuur in deze tijd van polarisatie. Ze treedt daadkrachtig op en ziet de groepen in haar stad die aandacht vragen."
De burgemeester van Heeze-Leende, Teun Heldens, is uitgeroepen tot de beste bestuurder van een kleine gemeente. Degenen die hem nomineerden noemen hem onder meer "betrokken, communicatief en toegankelijk". De titel van de beste jonge bestuurder is voor Ani Zalinyan, wethouder in de gemeente Heemskerk. "Ze durft moeilijke keuzes te maken en eerlijk te vertellen waarom iets wel of niet kan, ook als het een minder populair standpunt is", aldus de nomineerders over haar.
Bij de vorige verkiezing werd wethouder Nadya Aboyaakoub-Akkouh uit de gemeente Amersfoort gekozen als beste lokale bestuurder.
DE BILT (ANP) - Het KNMI waarschuwt voor plaatselijk dichte mist in Noord-Brabant, Gelderland en Utrecht. Voor die provincies heeft het weerinstituut code geel afgegeven. De waarschuwing geldt tot 10.00 uur.
Volgens het KNMI is er kans op ongelukken en gevaarlijke situaties op de weg door de dichte mist. Plaatselijk kan het zicht minder dan 200 meter zijn. In de tweede helft van de ochtend verdwijnt de mist weer.
WASHINGTON (ANP/RTR/AFP) - De Amerikaanse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Marco Rubio gaat niet naar de G20-top in Zuid-Afrika. Op X liet Rubio woensdag weten dat hij de bijeenkomst boycot. "Zuid-Afrika doet erg slechte dingen. Het onteigenen van privé-eigendommen. De G20 gebruiken om solidariteit, gelijkheid en duurzaamheid te bevorderen", schreef hij op het platform. "Met andere woorden: DEI en klimaatverandering."
DEI, oftewel diversiteit, gelijkheid en inclusie, ligt voortdurend onder vuur van president Donald Trump sinds hij vorige maand in het Witte Huis terugkeerde. "Het is mijn taak om nationale belangen van Amerika te bevorderen, en niet belastinggeld te verspillen of antiamerikanisme te vertroetelen", besloot Rubio zijn post op X.
Zuid-Afrika is gastheer van een bijeenkomst van ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken in Johannesburg. De afwezigheid van de Verenigde Staten, de grootste economie ter wereld, betekent een grote klap voor de G20, die de grootste economieën ter wereld vertegenwoordigt.
De Amerikaanse minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Marco Rubio gaat niet naar de G20-top in Zuid-Afrika. Op X liet Rubio woensdag weten dat hij de bijeenkomst boycot. "Zuid-Afrika doet erg slechte dingen. Het onteigenen van privé-eigendommen. De G20 gebruiken om solidariteit, gelijkheid en duurzaamheid te bevorderen", schreef hij op het platform. "Met andere woorden: DEI en klimaatverandering."
DEI, oftewel diversiteit, gelijkheid en inclusie, ligt voortdurend onder vuur van president Donald Trump sinds hij vorige maand in het Witte Huis terugkeerde. "Het is mijn taak om nationale belangen van Amerika te bevorderen, en niet belastinggeld te verspillen of antiamerikanisme te vertroetelen", besloot Rubio zijn post op X.
Zuid-Afrika is gastheer van een bijeenkomst van ministers van Buitenlandse Zaken in Johannesburg. De afwezigheid van de Verenigde Staten, de grootste economie ter wereld, betekent een grote klap voor de G20, die de grootste economieën ter wereld vertegenwoordigt.
LONDEN (ANP) - De Britse regering heeft besloten om Grenfell Tower te slopen. Dit deelde vicepremier Angela Rayner mee tijdens een ontmoeting met familieleden en nabestaanden, meldt de BBC.
In 2017 kwamen bij een brand in de torenflat in West-Londen 72 mensen om. Het besluit volgt op een jarenlang debat over de toekomst van de 24 verdiepingen tellende toren. Verwacht wordt dat de regering vrijdag een formele aankondiging doet, aldus de BBC.
De Britse premier Keir Starmer bood vorig jaar namens de overheid excuses aan na de presentatie van een vernietigend rapport over de brand in Grenfell Tower. Onderzoekers hadden geconcludeerd dat overheden en bouwbedrijven ernstige fouten hadden gemaakt in de aanloop naar de brand, die zich snel kon verspreiden via brandbare gevelbekleding.