The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA) has joined forces with Unified Patents to protect the crypto community from patent trolls, launching a new Blockchain Zone aimed at challenging patents held by non-practicing entities (NPEs) that could threaten the open-source ecosystem.
According to Unified Patents, this initiative seeks to deter NPE activity in the crypto sector, where such entities account for 58% of all US patent litigation.
Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase and a member of COPA, emphasized the significance of this collaboration, saying:
“Patent trolls are barriers in the path of innovation; they hinder the progress of technology and stifle the spirit of creativity, particularly in the fast-evolving world of cryptocurrency. They must be stopped so that the community can continue to do the important business of building the crypto-economy.”
The partnership offers COPA members pass-through protection at no cost, enhancing their ability to innovate without the looming threat of unwarranted litigation. Steve Lee, Lead at Spiral — a subsidiary of Block and another COPA member — said:
“COPA has fought long and hard to reduce barriers to crypto innovation, including its efforts to debunk false IP claims related to Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity, which have plagued the Bitcoin community. Now, we take COPA’s work a step further to protect the crypto community from patent trolls.”
Unified Patents’ existing Transactions Zone has already challenged hundreds of patents that threatened related technologies. The newly established Blockchain Zone will extend these efforts to the blockchain industry, ensuring that blockchain technologies remain open and free from baseless assertions.
In March, the UK High Court ruled against Craig Wright in a case brought by COPA, declaring that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto and did not create Bitcoin.
Justice Mellor found that Wright had “lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly” and engaged in “the deliberate production of false documents to support false claims.” The decision undermined several of Wright’s other legal claims that relied on his asserted identity as Bitcoin’s creator.
By joining over 300 companies committed to deterring invalid patent assertions by NPEs, COPA and Unified Patents aim to foster an environment where developers can innovate freely. Unified Patents remains the only entity that deters invalid patent assertions without ever paying NPEs, thereby avoiding incentivizing further NPE activity.
Kevin Jakel, founder and CEO of Unified Patents, expressed optimism about the partnership, stating:
“We’re happy to partner with COPA to bring our unique solution to the blockchain community. It represents a wonderful opportunity to ensure that the technology remains free to grow businesses, reduce transaction costs, and ensures it won’t be hindered by the all-too-common baseless patent assertions affecting other sectors of the economy.”
The collaboration between COPA and Unified Patents represents a proactive approach to safeguarding innovation within the industry. By challenging questionable patents and deterring patent trolls, they seek to ensure that blockchain technology can develop unimpeded, benefiting the entire crypto community.