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Update May 30, 01:30 pm UTC: This article has been updated to include a comment from&nbsp;Alex Gluchowski.
Matter Labs has filed trademark applications in nine countries to claim the term “zero-knowledge” as the firm’s exclusive intellectual property, outraging the crypto industry.
Matter Labs, the corporate entity developing zkSync, has previously tried to register a token under the ticker symbol “ZK” with <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/explained/crypto-exchanges-explained">cryptocurrency exchanges</a>, aiming to cement their claim over the technological paradigm.
<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/explained/zero-knowledge-proofs-explained">Zero-knowledge (ZK) technology</a> refers to cryptographic protocols that enable one person (the prover) to convince another (the verifier) that a particular claim is true without disclosing any details about the actual claim.
Matter Labs’ attempt to trademark ZK technology represents an “absurd IP grab” according to Eli Ben-Sasson, the CEO of StarkWare, who told Cointelegraph:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “ZK cryptography was developed for the good of all. It’s shameful to witness an IP land grab by a company trying to expropriate 'ZK' as private intellectual property. It’s as absurd as an individual baker trying to impose a blanket patent on bread.”
</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/next-trillion-dollar-company-depin-uplink-ceo">Next $1 trillion company will be DePIN: Uplink CEO</a>
<h2 id="crypto-industry-experts-call-for-withdrawal-of-trademark-application">Crypto industry experts call for withdrawal of trademark application</h2>
Top industry experts have called for the withdrawal of Matter Labs’ trademark filing, which they called “oppressive behavior,” in a public letter shared with Cointelegraph.
The public letter was signed by notable figures including Polygon co-founders Sandeep Nailwal and Brendan Farmer, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, Polyhedra Network co-founder and zkBridge inventor Tiancheng Xie, as well as Turing award winner and ZK-proofs co-inventor Shafi Goldwasser.
The letter notes:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “We believe that ZK is a public good that belongs to everyone. A company exploiting the legal system to annex a public good violates the crypto ethos, the Ethereum ethos, and the academic ethos. It even goes against Matter Labs’ own ethos…”
</blockquote>
In response to Cointelegraph’s X <a href="https://x.com/gluk64/status/1796167811380773044" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">post</a>, Alex Gluchowski, the founder and CEO of Matter Labs said that he rejects “the very idea of intellectual property.” The post continued:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “All the trademarks we had ever registered, including ZK-related ones, are defensive, to prevent dishonest actors from misleading their customers and confusing their products and services with the ones offered by Matter Labs (as had unfortunately been the case in the past).”
</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-etfs-traditional-finance-investments">Bitcoin ETFs boost TradFi Investments: Binance France president</a>
<h2 id="zk-proofs-have-a-massive-potential-for-humanity-starkware-ceo">ZK proofs have a massive potential for humanity: StarkWare CEO</h2>
Due to the potential of ZK technology, no single company should try to claim this paradigm as their own, according to StarkWare’s Ben-Sasson, who said:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “ZK cryptography has massive potential for humanity — actually far beyond blockchain. We, in blockchain, are honored to be pioneering its first great use case – and hope this propels it to many other use cases.”
</blockquote>
Despite being in its technological infancy, ZK-proofs are becoming increasingly important for future digital identity solutions.
<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/zero-knowledge-proofs-eu-digital-id-wallet-regulation">Zk-proofs could be used</a> as Europe’s new digital identity solution, to ensure a privacy-focused approach for users, according to Dr. Jonas Gross, the CEO of Hakata, who told Cointelegraph:
<blockquote data-ct-non-breakable="true">
 “ZKPs have the potential to start a new paradigm of compliance that breaks down data silos around identity information.”
</blockquote><iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N1IJ2qyn_GA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen data-ct-non-breakable="true"></iframe>
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 When is the right time to sell? Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1IJ2qyn_GA" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Cointelegraph</a>
</figcaption>
Magazine: <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/cailtlyn-jenner-token-scammer-sahil-arora-celebrity-network-leaked-price-list/">Caitlyn Jenner meme coin ‘mastermind’s’ celebrity price list leaked</a>

Matter Labs files for 'ZK' trademark, industry demands withdrawal

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