• Developer Nick Johnson from Ethereum Name Service (ENS) accuses Unstoppable Domains of restricting trade the Web3 domain industry.
• Johnson emphasizes ENS’s commitment to open innovation, highlighting their decision not to pursue patents on their work.
• Johnson criticizes Unstoppable Domains for patents, asserting that this contradicts their support for open innovation.

Nick Johnson, the head developer at Ethereum Name Service (ENS), has called out Unstoppable Domains for restricting trade in the Web3 domain sphere. He said,

“As a result of our commitment to these values, we have not pursued patents on our work. By contrast, Unstoppable Domains has begun doing so, despite stating it supports open innovation.”

ENS Champions Patent-Free Web3 Innovation

In an open letter on X (formerly Twitter), Johnson emphasizes how ENS fosters an open-field environment for development on its network.

“All of our work is licensed under open-source licenses, and all our standards are publicly available for anyone to implement.”

Johnson also argues that Unstoppable Domains has started pursuing patents on its work. 

An Open Letter RE: Blockchain Domain Name Patents

Since its founding in 2017, ENS has been a consistent and outspoken advocate of open source, open standards, and the importance of governing the global namespace as a public good.

— nick.eth (@nicksdjohnson) November 16, 2023

A patent bestows legal rights to an invention, granting privileges to the individual or entity without interference from others seeking to replicate, utilize, or sell the innovation.

Johnson Dismisses Press Release Pledge As Insufficient

Johnson indicates that ENS will not be placing patent applications on works anytime soon. “ENS remains committed to ensuring open innovation in web3,” he stated.

Read Also: The Intersection of AI and Web3: Exploring the Future of Technology and Society

“We believe in building extensible, long-lasting systems open to all to build upon and contribute towards strengthening the blockchain domain ecosystem.”

Speaking to BeInCrypto, Fred Hsu, co-founder and CEO of D3, asserts that the focal point is not merely seeking patents for their own endeavors but rather concerning the endeavors of others:

“The issue at hand isn’t that UD pursues patents on their own work, but rather that they are supposedly pursuing patents on the works of others and then using those patents in bad faith while advocating for an open ecosystem and cooperation between the different players in web3.

Yet, Johnson points out that Unstoppable Domains asserts it is ‘pledging’ its inaugural patent to the Web3 Domain Alliance.

However, since this statement was made through a press release, Johnson argues that it can’t be genuinely held accountable.

“UD has subsequently issued a press release ‘pledging’ its first patent to the Web3 Domain Alliance, an industry group founded and run by Unstoppable Domains. We appreciate the sentiment behind this, but regrettably, press releases are not legally binding.”