Key Points
The crypto community is divided over the recent move by the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) to challenge a US patent held by Unstoppable Domains (UD).
ENS lodged an official petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on May 2, questioning the validity of UD’s patent.
They stated that their aim is to keep the internet as a collaborative space.
ENS’s Stance and Reactions
ENS accuses UD of stealing the technology they pioneered and then patenting it.
They assert that they must fight this to ensure that ENS remains free and accessible to all.
ENS also stated that their organization thrives on decentralization and public benefit, and the UD patent threatens to distort or destroy their core vision and beliefs.
They believe that essential web functions should be free and not hindered by patents.
Some members of the crypto community supported ENS’s action against UD, while others opposed the petition.
Adam Cochran of Cinneamhain Ventures believes that the UD patent is invalid.
He argues that blockchain names, designed by ENS, should remain a perpetual public good and open intellectual property.
He added, “One of the critical values in this space is building in the open and not creating IP capture.”
The DeFi Education Fund, advocates of decentralized finance (DeFi), also expressed their support for ENS.
The organization aligns with ENS in promoting and advancing open-source protocols.
However, a crypto community member argued that ENS is merely attacking UD because they have nothing else to do.
The user alleged that ENS is urging their friends not to collaborate with UD and that they are draining investors with high fees.
Another user claimed that ENS’s challenge is an attempt to gaslight, arguing that patents are not granted without due process.
They advised ENS to keep the petition in court and not on social media.
Unstoppable Domains founder Matthew Gould responded to ENS’s challenge on social media, stating that ENS was cited in the patent alongside other blockchain domain systems.
He said that the patent was granted following a review of these citations and is valid.
In response to Gould’s statement, ENS founder Nick Johnson challenged him to outline the key innovations in their patent that were not already part of ENS.
However, Gould did not post any further responses to ENS and Johnson.
