On 15 August 1994, William R. Della Croce, Jr. filed for the trademark Linux and then demanded royalties from Linux distributors. After court battles, Linus Torvalds got the trademark rights back in 1997.
100 Mind-Blowing Croce Facts
Linux Trademark Dispute: A guy named William Della Croce Jr registered the name Linux and demanded royalty for using its name and mark. However, this contentious situation was ultimately resolved when Della Croce agreed to transfer the trademark to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux. This transition secured Linux’s open-source status and ensured that its name and mark remained freely accessible, allowing the Linux community to continue flourishing and innovating without hindrance.