DFINITY founder accuses NEAR Protocol of using proprietary technology

Dominic Williams, founder of the DFINITY Foundation, has accused NEAR Protocol of utilizing proprietary cryptographic technology developed by DFINITY. Williams claims that NEAR’s Chain Signatures and NEAR Intents rely on a specific threshold ECDSA algorithm and additive key derivation methods that were originally part of DFINITY’s research and intended for use with the Internet Computer (ICP) protocol.

Williams alleges that the technology may have been obtained through the recruitment of former DFINITY employees and engineers. He stated that the situation involves potential civil and criminal legal liabilities and requires a resolution. He specifically pointed to a 2021 research paper involving DFINITY researchers as the basis for the technology used by NEAR.

In response to the claims, NEAR supporters have suggested the accusations are a marketing tactic to divert attention from ICP’s market performance. While NEAR’s official documentation links to the relevant academic papers, the legal distinction between public research and proprietary implementation remains a central point of contention. NEAR has not issued a formal public response to the specific allegations of theft at the time of reporting.