Matter Labs, the company behind the Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution zkSync, has decided to withdraw all trademark applications for the term “ZK.” This decision came after significant backlash from several industry leaders who criticized the move as an attempt to privatize a public good.
The Trademark Controversy
Last week, Matter Labs filed trademark applications for “ZK” in nine countries, intending to claim the term as its intellectual property. The term ZK, short for zero-knowledge, refers to cryptographic proofs allowing one party to prove possession of certain information without revealing it. This technology is crucial for building scalable layer 2 networks on Ethereum, utilized by zkSync, Starknet, PolygonZero, and others.
The move to trademark “ZK” sparked outrage among other ZK builders. Leaders from StarkWare, Polygon, Algorand, Polyhedra, and Kakarot publicly condemned Matter Labs’ attempt to claim ownership of the term. They argued that such a move violated the ethos of the crypto, Ethereum, and academic communities. “A company exploiting the legal system to annex a public good violates the crypto ethos, the Ethereum ethos, and the academic ethos,” they stated.
Withdrawal of Applications
In response to the backlash, Matter Labs announced on X that it would withdraw all trademark applications. “These discussions came down to one important fact: it would be impossible to agree on a group of people perceived as credibly neutral by nearly everyone. What could have worked for Ethereum would not necessarily work for the entire world,” said Matter Labs in their post.
Underlying Dispute with Polyhedra
The trademark controversy followed a dispute between Matter Labs and Polyhedra over a proposed “Z” ticker symbol for zkSync’s upcoming token generation event (TGE). Polyhedra contested the use of the ticker and accused zkSync of spreading misinformation regarding the issue.
The zkSync TGE is expected to take place around June 13, with an anticipated token supply of 21 billion. An airdrop event and official token launch will follow shortly after the TGE.
