I know the definition precisely, which is why I used that word. If you disagree with my usage, please explain why their actions don't constitute extortion.
Here's what happened: They leveraged their platform to get 60,000 people to sign a petition.
Using this petition and the resulting legal proceeding, they forced the entire community's hand by framing it as "the last chance" to get the trademark released, which it is solely because of their actions.
They unilaterally made it the "last chance" without seeking even minimal input from the community they claim to represent. Not even OpenJS. Now they're demanding 200k, citing the difficulty of proceeding alone and suggesting they might not be able to succeed without this funding.
This is textbook extortion: creating artificial urgency, leveraging community pressure, and demanding payment under the threat that their stated goal will fail without it.
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I know the definition precisely, which is why I used that word. If you disagree with my usage, please explain why their actions don't constitute extortion.
Here's what happened: They leveraged their platform to get 60,000 people to sign a petition.
Using this petition and the resulting legal proceeding, they forced the entire community's hand by framing it as "the last chance" to get the trademark released, which it is solely because of their actions.
They unilaterally made it the "last chance" without seeking even minimal input from the community they claim to represent. Not even OpenJS. Now they're demanding 200k, citing the difficulty of proceeding alone and suggesting they might not be able to succeed without this funding.
This is textbook extortion: creating artificial urgency, leveraging community pressure, and demanding payment under the threat that their stated goal will fail without it.
You don't need enemies with friends like that.