The developer behind zkSync, Matter Labs, has withdrawn its application to trademark zero-knowledge proofs (ZK).
Cointelegraph reported the filing on May 30, after which the firm faced criticism from the crypto community.
⚡️ JUST IN: @the_matter_labs’ attempt to trademark ‘ZK’ technology sparks outrage.
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) May 30, 2024
StarkWare noted that ZK is a “public good that should belong to everyone.”
ZK is a public good that should belong to everyone.
Matter Labs, the corporate entity behind @zksync, has filed trademark applications in nine countries, claiming ZK as its exclusive intellectual property, even though they neither created nor contributed to the creation of this…
— StarkWare ?? (@StarkWareLtd) May 30, 2024
“Matter Labs, the corporate entity behind zkSync, has filed trademark applications in nine countries, claiming ZK as its intellectual property, even though the company neither created nor contributed to the creation of this technology. By using the legal system to claim a public good, the firm contradicts the ideals of cryptocurrency […]”, the post stated.
StarkWare representatives urged the community to oppose the privatization of the technology.
The company attached a public statement signed by two of the three creators of ZK technology, Shafi Goldwasser and Silvio Micali, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, and Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal.
“If [Matter Labs] goes through with this, it will separate itself from the very community it considers itself a part of,” the letter stated.
Initially, company representatives claimed they filed for ZK-related trademarks to ensure “free use of ZK in the context of ZK Sync, ZK Stack, and other names.”
ZK technology belongs to the community. Full stop.
We applied for ZK-related trademarks to ensure that the term “ZK” can be used freely in the context of “ZK Sync”, “ZK Stack” and other related names. Like it or not, trademarks are the only legal tool available for this today.…
— Matter Labs (∎, ∆) (@the_matter_labs) May 30, 2024
According to them, trademark registration does not mean a ban on the use of the term ZK:
“All trademarks we have ever registered, including those related to ZK, are defensive in nature to prevent dishonest entities from misleading their customers.”
However, on June 2, Matter Labs announced the withdrawal of the application following “discussions with the community.” The company’s founder and CEO, Alex Gluchowski, described the decision as “not easy.”
This was not an easy decision. It increases legal risks, but the very purpose of ZK is to help humanity change its mode of cooperation from “don’t be evil” to “can’t be evil”. I feel that this is the right thing to do. https://t.co/OApjMCraPc
— Alex G. (∎, ∆) (@gluk64) June 2, 2024
“This increases legal risks, but the very purpose of ZK is to help humanity change its mode of cooperation from ‘don’t be evil’ to ‘can’t be evil’. I feel that this is the right thing to do,” he warned.
Previously, the Polygon Zero team accused Matter Labs of code theft. According to the statement, the latest update from the latter, called Boojum, contained fully copied parts of the SNARK Plonky2 protocol.
In May, the Ethereum Name Service filed an official petition to annul a patent granted to Unstoppable Domains by US authorities in January 2023.