ENS Takes Legal Action Over Unstoppable Domains Patent

Last Updated: May 3, 2024 6:02am EDT | 1 minute read

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) has filed a petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to challenge a blockchain naming patent held by Unstoppable domains (UD).

According to a series of posts made by ENS on social media, UD has obtained a patent for an open source technology developed by ENS Labs. THE agency has now officially filed a petition to challenge the validity of the patent.

ENS accuses UD of “theft”

As included in the posts, UDs are registered patent it was called “Blockchain Domain Resolution”. The ENS said UD patented its technology, “directly leveraging our open source innovations.”

“This is not flattery, it is theft,” the posts read. “We must fight this phenomenon to ensure that ENS remains unrestricted for everyone.”

The posts indicated that their contributions had been acknowledged in Unstoppable Domains’ patent application. The company noted that the USPTO’s initial patent rejection cited prior art that included work outside of ENS contributions.

“The ENS thrives on decentralization and public benefit, characteristics that we believe the UD patent threatens to distort or destroy,” the posts read. “Our legal position is rooted in our belief that core web functions should remain free for all, unprotected by patents.”

The company sent letters to UD to address the issue, but the mail indicated that UD rejected the requests and refused to cooperate.

“We have given UD every opportunity to avoid this battle: UD has refused to open source the patent and has refused to make irrevocable commitments not to use the patent to the detriment of the community,” ENS said.

Other patents filed by UD

The posts stated that UD’s pursuit of a patent represented a significant departure from the common ethos of web3 and the open internet. They expressed concern that this step towards privatization contradicted the fundamental principles of public accessibility and transparency.

According to the ENS, UD has also submitted applications to claim the invention of other basic technologies.

“The community should know that this patent is not unique. Behind the scenes, the UD at least filed an application 9 other patentsfor core technologies such as accessing data on a blockchain, cross-chain app access, and resolving data using domains,” ENS said.

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