The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA) has joined forces with Unified Patents to shield the crypto group from patent trolls, launching a brand new Blockchain Zone aimed toward difficult patents held by non-practicing entities (NPEs) that would threaten the open-source ecosystem.
In keeping with Unified Patents, this initiative seeks to discourage NPE exercise within the crypto sector, the place such entities account for 58% of all US patent litigation.
Paul Grewal, Chief Authorized Officer at Coinbase and a member of COPA, emphasised the importance of this collaboration, saying:
“Patent trolls are boundaries within the path of innovation; they hinder the progress of know-how and stifle the spirit of creativity, notably within the fast-evolving world of cryptocurrency. They should be stopped in order that the group can proceed to do the vital enterprise of constructing the crypto-economy.”
The partnership affords COPA members pass-through safety for free of charge, enhancing their capacity to innovate with out the looming menace of unwarranted litigation. Steve Lee, Lead at Spiral — a subsidiary of Block and one other COPA member — mentioned:
“COPA has fought lengthy and laborious to scale back boundaries to crypto innovation, together with its efforts to debunk false IP claims associated to Satoshi Nakamoto’s id, which have plagued the Bitcoin group. Now, we take COPA’s work a step additional to guard the crypto group from patent trolls.”
Unified Patents’ current Transactions Zone has already challenged a whole lot of patents that threatened associated applied sciences. The newly established Blockchain Zone will lengthen these efforts to the blockchain business, making certain that blockchain applied sciences stay open and free from baseless assertions.
In March, the UK Excessive Court docket dominated towards Craig Wright in a case introduced by COPA, declaring that he’s not Satoshi Nakamoto and didn’t create Bitcoin.
Justice Mellor discovered that Wright had “lied to the Court docket extensively and repeatedly” and engaged in “the deliberate manufacturing of false paperwork to assist false claims.” The choice undermined a number of of Wright’s different authorized claims that relied on his asserted id as Bitcoin’s creator.
By becoming a member of over 300 corporations dedicated to deterring invalid patent assertions by NPEs, COPA and Unified Patents purpose to foster an surroundings the place builders can innovate freely. Unified Patents stays the one entity that deters invalid patent assertions with out ever paying NPEs, thereby avoiding incentivizing additional NPE exercise.
Kevin Jakel, founder and CEO of Unified Patents, expressed optimism in regards to the partnership, stating:
“We’re glad to associate with COPA to deliver our distinctive resolution to the blockchain group. It represents an exquisite alternative to make sure that the know-how stays free to develop companies, scale back transaction prices, and ensures it received’t be hindered by the all-too-common baseless patent assertions affecting different sectors of the financial system.”
The collaboration between COPA and Unified Patents represents a proactive strategy to safeguarding innovation inside the business. By difficult questionable patents and deterring patent trolls, they search to make sure that blockchain know-how can develop unimpeded, benefiting the complete crypto group.
