Alex Gluchowski, the founder of zkSync, has recently responded to a trademark dispute, highlighting the importance of protecting users rather than companies. According to Gluchowski, the existence of trademarks is meant to safeguard users from confusion and misrepresentation, rather than to benefit companies.

Gluchowski revealed that all trademarks registered by zkSync, including those related to ZK, were intended for defensive purposes to prevent malicious actors from misleading customers by confusing their products and services with those provided by Matter Labs. Unfortunately, such incidents have occurred in the past, underscoring the need for robust trademark protection.

Gluchowski also disclosed that Matter Labs had previously approached the legal team of the Ethereum Foundation, proposing a collaborative effort to create a legal framework that would allow 'ZK' and similar technical terms to be used in the public domain. Matter Labs is now calling for more individuals to join this collaboration, particularly those who have applied for STARK-related trademarks.

The dispute has garnered significant attention from industry leaders, with several prominent figures signing an open letter calling on Matter Labs to withdraw the trademark application. The letter, signed by notable figures such as Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal, Brendan Farmer, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson, Polyhedra Network co-founder and zkBridge inventor Tiancheng Xie, and Turing Award winner and ZK-proofs co-inventor Shafi Goldwasser, labeled the trademark application as 'oppressive behavior.'

In conclusion, the trademark dispute between zkSync and Matter Labs highlights the importance of protecting users and the public domain in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space. The collaboration proposed by Matter Labs, if successful, could lead to a more open and transparent legal framework for the use of technical terms in the public domain.