The trademarks for Node.js have officially been transferred from Joyent, the company that originally spearheaded the development of the widely used JavaScript runtime, to the OpenJS Foundation. This transition, announced on February 14, marks a significant shift in the governance and ongoing management of the Node.js trademarks. Moving forward, the OpenJS Foundation, a prominent project under the Linux Foundation, will take full responsibility for overseeing the trademarks associated with Node.js.
The OpenJS Foundation is home to several critical open-source projects that have helped shape the JavaScript ecosystem, including tools like the jQuery library, the Webpack bundler, and the Electron framework. As part of the trademark transition, the rules for using Node.js trademarks will align with the established guidelines for other projects under the OpenJS umbrella. The foundation’s staff, along with its Cross Project Council, will continue their work on key initiatives, focusing on areas such as security, diversity, and further support for the broader JavaScript community.
For over six years, Joyent had granted the OpenJS Foundation, and previously the Node.js Foundation, a perpetual and free license to use the Node.js trademarks. This new move formalizes and strengthens the foundation’s role in overseeing Node.js as an “Impact Project,” a designation reserved for large, influential, and mature projects. The Node.js community will benefit from the OpenJS Foundation’s governance, which is committed to maintaining the integrity and growth of the project.
The OpenJS Foundation itself was created in 2019 through the merger of the Node.js Foundation and the JS Foundation. Node.js was originally developed in 2009 by Ryan Dahl while he was working at Joyent. Dahl has since gone on to create Deno, a competitor to Node.js, but Joyent remains a member of the OpenJS Foundation’s board of directors, helping to shape the future of the ecosystem.