Lisk becomes member of Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance

Lisk has become the latest member of the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA). As the first blockchain developer-focused member of the rapidly growing alliance, Lisk will help bolster innovation within the blockchain community through the promotion of open patent collaboration.

The COPA consortium, which was launched in September 2020 by global financial services company Square, Inc., requires members to make their patents freely available for all to use except in extenuating circumstances. In combining their cryptocurrency-related patents, COPA members create a patent library, designed to directly combat offensive use of patents which stifle innovation and industry growth.

Max Kordek, Co-founder and CEO of Lisk, said, “We are truly excited to join the Crypto Open Patent Alliance to boost innovation in the blockchain sector while driving awareness of the issues hindering development in the space. The number of operational blockchain patents has exploded over the last few years. COPA helps us all to navigate the potential ramifications of this growth by stepping up to the plate and ensuring industry-beneficial collaboration continues within the community. We look forward to working alongside the members of COPA.”

COPA’s continued expansion and growth will create a more equitable patent environment, with the aim of boosting mass adoption of blockchain-based technology and promoting innovation within the industry. COPA is governed by a board of nine members – three members from the crypto and open source community who work towards making crypto better and available for everyone, and six representatives from member companies. Notable members include Coinbase, Blockstream and Square.

“We are excited to welcome Lisk to our membership as we carry COPA’s mission forward,” said COPA Board Chair Kirupa Pushparaj. “We admire Lisk's commitment to keeping crypto open and accessible, and hope this inspires others in the community to join the consortium.”

As a member of the alliance, Lisk will make a pledge to never use their crypto patents against anyone, except for defensive purposes, making these patents free for all to use. Lisk’s blockchain interoperability solution, which is set to be released to the open source community on the 21st of May, 2021 at Lisk.js, will operate without the need for an existing patent. Lisk keeps its options open to be able to register patents for all other relevant Lisk protocols that require a patent in order to protect the technology’s accessibility among the open-source community.