Matter Labs, the company behind **ZKsync**, is entangled in a legal dispute with the defunct blockchain firm **BANKEX**, raising concerns about intellectual property rights in the crypto sector.
The lawsuit alleges that former BANKEX employees improperly used proprietary technology to develop Matter Labs’ Ethereum Layer-2 scaling solution.
Key Allegations
BANKEX claims that two of its former employees, **Alexandr Vlasov and Petr Korolev**, secretly developed Matter Labs while still working for BANKEX.
The lawsuit accuses them of transferring BANKEX’s technology to Matter Labs and leveraging company resources to build foundational code bases.
Additionally, BANKEX asserts that Ethereum co-founder **Vitalik Buterin** had initially approached them in 2017 to develop software for **Plasma**, a project designed to optimize Ethereum transactions.
The lawsuit suggests that Vlasov and Korolev redirected this initiative to Matter Labs instead.
Matter Labs’ Response
Matter Labs strongly denies the accusations, emphasizing that **ZKsync is built on original technology** rather than any BANKEX intellectual property.
A company spokesperson reaffirmed their commitment to transparency and expressed confidence in defending against the claims.
Impact on the Blockchain Industry
This case underscores the growing complexity of **intellectual property protection** in blockchain development.
As competition in the sector intensifies, disputes over ownership of technological innovations are becoming more common. The ruling in this case could set an important precedent for how crypto firms handle IP rights and employee transitions.