| Apache Moves To Oak Leaf Logo |
| Written by Kay Ewbank |
| Friday, 19 September 2025 |
|
Apache has unveiled its new logo to replace the long-standing feather logo. The organization will also be moving to using the name "ASF" rather than "Apache Software Foundation". The moves are the continuing response to a complaint from the Natives in Tech group, who complained in January 2023 that the use of Apache as part of the foundation's name is ignorant and offensive.
Natives in Tech is a collective of native American technologists crafting free and open source technology designed to empower Native peoples. The term "native" is used in this sense to mean specifically American native rather than any older or wider use of the word. The group has 56 financial contributors and two team members. Group projects of Natives in Tech include Indigemoji, a collection of indigenous flags and important symbols for use on chat platforms, and MMIW AR Face Mesh App, which aims to raise awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) human rights campaign. The app will let users take a picture with the campaign's red hand over their face, then share that picture on social media. In response, Apache announced that they would move away from using a feather as their brand image, even though it has been the Apache brand image since 1999. In a statement Apache said that "As a non-Indigenous entity, we acknowledge that it is inappropriate for the Foundation to use Indigenous themes or language. We thank Natives in Tech and other members of the broader open source community for bringing this issue to the forefront." Unveiling the new logo, ASF’s Melissa Logan said: “The oak leaf represents strength, resilience, and interconnection — qualities that define the ASF’s unique model of community-driven, consensus-based software development. Like the oak, our foundation grows slowly but steadily, supporting a vast and diverse ecosystem built to endure.” Alongside the arrow, until now the logo has also included the term Apache Software Foundation. The new logo has ASF instead. Clarifying this, the announcement said: "The Apache Software Foundation continues to operate under its full legal name, but we will also use the acronym "The ASF" as part of our visual identity." The explanation continues by saying that using the full name remains in use where legally required — such as in copyright notices, footers, and formal documents, and will continue to be used for established products such as the Apache HTTP Server. In answer to why they're not changing the name of the Foundation entirely, came a similar response to last year's, that: "The implications on the security of the global software supply chain if the ASF were to move away from the "apache.org" domain are such that a change is not practical to do." This is unlikely to be the end point, though: "As part of our ongoing efforts to align our brand with our values, we are re-evaluating how and where we use "Apache," especially in visual branding." It looks like this is the start of the end of the Apache Software Foundation under that name, and the foundation will be diverting its hard-won funds to erasing Apache-related terms from its lexicon rather than supporting open source software.
More InformationIntroducing The ASF’s New Logo Related ArticlesNatives In Tech Accuse Apache Of Cultural Appropriation Apache Software Foundation - 21 Years Following the Apache Way Apache Software Foundation Is Worth $20 Billion To be informed about new articles on I Programmer, sign up for our weekly newsletter, subscribe to the RSS feed and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin. 
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 19 September 2025 ) |
