The founder and lead developer of Ethereum Name Service (ENS), Nick Johnson, has publicly urged Unstoppable Domains to drop a recently awarded patent or be prepared for a lawsuit. In an open letter shared on Twitter, Johnson voiced concerns about a patent recently granted to Unstoppable Domains, claiming that it is based on innovations developed by ENS and does not introduce any new innovations of its own.

In January, Unstoppable Domains was granted its first patent, US11558344, which involves the use of blockchain technology to determine domains. This patent request was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2021. Johnson asserts that the patent contains no novel innovations and is entirely based on ENS-developed technology.

According to Johnson, all the work done by ENS is licensed as open-source, with all standards made publicly available for implementation. He further expressed that attempts to reach out to Unstoppable Domains regarding this matter have been unsuccessful in recent months.

In response to the situation, Johnson stated that ENS Labs is prepared to challenge the patent, which they believe is entirely derivative of their own inventions and are willing and able to demonstrate. Additionally, he requested that Unstoppable Domains provide legal weight behind its public commitment to pledge the patent to the Web3 Domain Alliance.

Matthew Gould, one of the alleged inventors from Unstoppable Domains, responded by inviting Johnson to join the Web3 Domain Alliance and arguing for the necessity of multiple naming systems. However, this response did not address the concerns raised by Johnson.

The article highlighted the attention the thread has received from the crypto community, including comments from others in the industry about the implications of Unstoppable Domains’ actions. Cointelegraph reached out to Unstoppable Domains for a statement but did not receive an immediate response.

Source: Nick Johnson’s Twitter, USPTO, Matthew Gould’s Twitter, Bob Summerwill’s Twitter

Summary

ENS founder Nick Johnson has called on Unstoppable Domains to abandon a recently awarded patent, claiming it infringes on ENS-developed technology. Unstoppable Domains has been urged to drop the patent or face legal action, as ENS Labs is prepared to challenge it.

FAQs

What is the Ethereum Name Service (ENS)?

The Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a distributed, open, and extensible naming system based on the Ethereum blockchain. Its purpose is to map human-readable names to machine-readable identifiers such as Ethereum addresses, other cryptocurrency addresses, content hashes, and metadata.

What was Unstoppable Domains granted a patent for?

Unstoppable Domains was granted a patent that involves the use of blockchain technology to determine domains. The patent was awarded in January and has sparked controversy as it has been claimed to be based entirely on innovations developed by ENS.

What are the concerns raised by ENS founder Nick Johnson?

Nick Johnson has raised concerns that the patent granted to Unstoppable Domains is based on innovations developed by ENS and does not introduce any new innovations of its own. He has urged Unstoppable Domains to drop the patent or face legal action.