Rival initiatives utilizing zero-knowledge expertise publicly slammed Matter Labs over the trademark drama.
Matter Labs, the group behind the ZkSync Period Layer 2 community, have discovered themselves on the heart of controversy after searching for to trademark the time period “ZK”, an acronym for zero-knowledge, as mental property.
A Could 30 joint assertion from Starkware, Polygon, and Polyhedra — three groups engaged on zero-knowledge (ZK)-based options — outed Matter Labs for submitting to say “zero-knowledge” as a trademark in 9 nations again in February. The businesses name on the web3 group to demand that Matter Labs withdraw its emblems.
“We condemn this habits within the strongest potential phrases, as a clear try by an organization to say possession over one thing that doesn’t belong to it,” the assertion mentioned. “ We converse as a few of the authentic creators of ZK or Zero-Data cryptography… We imagine that ZK is a public good that belongs to everybody.”
Zero-knowledge cryptography bolsters the privateness of blockchains by enabling on-chain transaction verification with out publicly disclosing knowledge referring to the transactional counterparties. The 2016 launches of the Zcoin and Zcash protocols comprised the primary real-world purposes of zero-knowledge proofs.
Starkware and Polygon develop ZK-based Ethereum scaling options, whereas Polyhedra gives a ZK-based cross-chain interoperability protocol.
ZkSync Period is at the moment the ninth-largest Ethereum Layer 2 by complete worth locked with $867 million, in keeping with L2beat.
Matter Labs’ protection
Matter Labs sought to defend its trademark software by way of tweet, arguing that emblems are the one means by which it might assure its potential to freely use the time period “ZK” for its merchandise that don the 2 letters of their identify.
“A typical false impression is that having a trademark means you legally personal a selected phrase or phrase and might stop others from utilizing it,” Matter Labs continued. “You don’t have rights to the phrase or phrase normally, solely to how that phrase or phrase is used along with your particular items or providers.”
Matter Labs added that it’s dedicated to discovering a construction for the ZK trademark that advantages everyone constructing with zero-knowledge expertise, even claiming to have reached out to the Ethereum Basis in a bid to collaborate on establishing a authorized framework putting the time period “ZK” within the public area.
“ZK expertise, and the time period ZK specifically, is and should all the time stay a public good, freely obtainable to all,” Matter Labs mentioned.
Nonetheless, many onlookers are unconvinced by Matter Labs’ makes an attempt to assuage the group.
“Why did not you’re employed with anybody on this collective effort because you filed it in February? ”mentioned Hudson Jameson, VP at Polygon Labs.
“What prevents you from simply not paying charges anymore so the Trademark is now not owned by you, and thus (functionally) a part of the ‘public area’?” requested Micah Zoltu. “I do not imagine somebody can trademark one thing that was beforehand trademarked however ceased to be… It’s unclear to me why there must be a collective effort right here.”
The drama comes after Matter Labs additionally sought to say “ZK” as a ticker for its upcoming token drop final week, regardless of Polyhydra’s token already buying and selling beneath such.
