ENS Labs Receives Settlement Offer from Manifold Finance in Legal Battle over eth.link Domain
ENS Labs, the developer behind the Ethereum Name Service, has been offered a settlement by Manifold Finance in their ongoing legal dispute over the eth.link domain name. The conflict began in August 2022 and has involved various parties, including domain registrars.
According to ENS founder Nick Johnson, Manifold Finance proposed a settlement that would require ENS Labs to pay $300,000 and agree to “confidentiality and non-disparagement agreements.” This settlement would resolve the dispute that arose when the eth.link domain was transferred and sold without ENS Labs’ consent.
Eth.link was an important web gateway for the Ethereum community, providing access to ENS names through web browsers and supporting major DeFi projects. Initially assigned to ENS Labs by its owner, Virgil Griffith, the domain ended up being auctioned to Manifold Finance after a failure to renew and a subsequent sale by GoDaddy.
After obtaining a preliminary injunction ordering the domain’s return to ENS Labs, the case is still ongoing. ENS Labs is now considering its options, including approving the settlement, negotiating a compromise, continuing litigation, or dismissing the case and potentially losing control over eth.link. The organization has also proposed reimbursing legal fees from the DAO’s funds through a vote.
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