Outlet says it’s been ordered to cease trading under name
Oracle is threatening serious legal consequences for a blockchain and cryptocurrency news service called “OracleTimes”.
Big Red’s lawyers have written to OracleTimes pointing out that Larry Ellison’s database behemoth has been using the name Oracle since at least 1979 and accusing the website of potentially confusing readers by infringing on its trademark.
But British Virgin Islands-based OracleTimes is having none of it. In a lengthy defence on its website the news service references not just oracles of the Ancient Greek variety, but perhaps more relevantly that “oracle” is a term used in blockchain to define trusted data sources outside the actual chain.
Further, the site said it has been providing blockchain and crypto news since 2016 like, er, “an oracle for our readership…”
The defence continued: “The concept of an oracle has existed for thousands of years, and it is the definition of that concept that forms the basis of our decision to use the name. Our mission has always been to function as a de facto ‘oracle’ for our readership, delivering up-to-the-minute news and analysis that can give insights into what the future may hold.”
We can only hope no one tells Oracle Corp about the beloved Berkshire shopping and dining destination just down the road from its British HQ in Reading.
Or the UK coppers’ news site Police Oracle, Oracle Time, a watch magazine, or The Oracle Times on YouTube, which offers regular tarot readings based on star signs.
We’ve asked for comment from the other Oracle and will update if we hear back. ®
