SparkFun Electronics Hits Legal Problems with Bully SPARC International Over Trademarks.

Justblair

I don’t like bullies, no-one does I hope. I was disappointed to read today that the good folks over at Sparkfun Electronics, a company that produces and sells open source hardware popular with electronics hobbyists.

SPARC International originally formed by Sun Microsystems has launched a legal shot over the bows of Sparkfun with a Cease and Desist letter from their solicitors. The demand is that they stop using their Sparkfun trademark (which they have traded under now since 2003) and hand over their website to SPARC.

The argument is that Sparkfun sounds and looks too similar to SPARC.

SPARC Industries position I think is bizarre. Their solicitor states that Sparkfun is selling computer hardware, they don’t in the conventional sense. Apparently their is not a legal distinction between a servers architecture and that of an integrated circuit board.

If you too feel that Sparkfun are being hard done to here, please feel free to mail SPARC International at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to voice your displeasure. Sun Microsystems (for their brand is synonymous with SPARC, and indeed they are part of the group) and SPARC International should take a look at the bad feeling that Monster Cables has generated web wide with their bullying legal tactics. Ill advised and bullying behaviour on their part has no doubt lost them millions of pounds worth of sales globally. In a competitive industry can SPARC International really risk their reputation on a frivolous legal action?