Matter Labs Faces Opposition Over Attempt to Trademark "Zero-Knowledge" Term
Summary:
Matter Labs has faced backlash for attempting to claim exclusive rights to the term "zero-knowledge" by filing trademark applications in nine countries. Elements of the crypto industry, including Polygon co-founders and StarkWare CEO, have come out against this, calling it "oppressive behavior." This ZK (zero-knowledge) technology allows one party to convince another of a claim's validity without revealing specific details. Experts argue it should remain a public good, with potential use in future digital identity solutions, rather than being monopolized by a single company. Matter Labs has yet to comment on the situation.
Matter Labs has submitted trademark applications in nine countries seeking exclusive rights to the term "zero-knowledge", which has sparked indignation in the crypto sphere. Matter Labs is the corporate body behind zkSync and previously attempted to register a digital token with the ticker symbol "ZK" on crypto exchanges to bolster their claim on the technological concept. The technology of zero-knowledge (ZK) refers to a cryptographic method which allows one party (the prover) to convince another (the verifier) of the validity of a certain claim without revealing any specifics about that claim.
Eli Ben-Sasson, CEO of StarkWare, termed the effort by Matter Labs to trademark this tech as a "wild IP land grab" and told Cointelegraph, "ZK cryptography was designed for everybody's benefit. It's appalling to see a firm trying to claim 'ZK' as their own intellectual property, as if a local baker tries to patent every form of bread."
Prominent crypto sector voices, including Polygon co-founders Sandeep Nailwal and Brendan Farmer, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, Polyhedra Network co-founder and zkBridge creator Tiancheng Xie, as well as Turing award recipient and ZK-proofs co-developer Shafi Goldwasser, have signed an open letter seeking withdrawal of Matter Labs' trademark filing. This move has been described as "authoritarian conduct" that undermines the crypto ethos and the academic ethos, as well as Matter Labs' own stated principles.
The potential of ZK tech is such that no singular firm should attempt to monopolize it, says StarkWare’s Ben-Sasson: "ZK cryptographic protocols hold enormous promise for mankind that extend far beyond blockchain. We in the blockchain field are proud to be the first to harness this potential and hope it paves way for varied other applications." He further emphasized that despite ZK-proofs still being in its early stages technologically, their relevance for future digital identity solutions is on the rise.
Dr. Jonas Gross, Hakata's CEO, told Cointelegraph that zk-proofs hold the power to establish a new model of compliance that dismantles data silos around identity information, and could be pivotal for a new European digital identity solution that prioritizes user privacy.
Cointelegraph has reached out to Matter Labs for their statement regarding these developments.
Published At
5/30/2024 3:14:00 PM
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