Industry demands withdrawal as Matter Labs files for ‘ZK’ trademark

Matter Labs, the company behind zkSync, has caused outrage in the crypto industry by filing trademark applications in nine countries to claim the term “zero-knowledge” as its exclusive intellectual property. The company’s aim is to solidify its claim over the zero-knowledge (ZK) technology, which refers to cryptographic protocols that allow one person to convince another of a claim’s truthfulness without revealing any specific details. This move has been criticized as an “absurd IP grab” by Eli Ben-Sasson, the CEO of StarkWare. In response, industry experts, including Sandeep Nailwal, Brendan Farmer, Tiancheng Xie, Shafi Goldwasser, and Eli Ben-Sasson, have signed a public letter calling for the withdrawal of Matter Labs’ trademark filing, denouncing it as oppressive behavior. Alex Gluchowski, the founder and CEO of Matter Labs, rejected the concept of intellectual property and its implications. ZK-proofs have vast potential for humanity, and Ben-Sasson believes that no single company should claim ownership of this paradigm. Despite being in its early stages, ZK-proofs are gaining importance for future digital identity solutions. They could serve as Europe’s new digital identity solution, ensuring a privacy-focused approach for users, as stated by Dr. Jonas Gross, the CEO of Hakata.