ENS, the Ethereum network’s domain name protocol, recently revealed a collaboration with GoDaddy, the leading internet domain registry. This partnership enables users to effortlessly connect their internet domains to ENS addresses, all without incurring any additional charges.
On February 5th, it was officially announced that GoDaddy domain name owners can now conveniently associate their addresses with Ethereum Name Service (ENS) names, and this process does not demand any technical skills or involve any extra fees.
Enabling Free Integration of Internet Domains with Blockchain Addresses
ENS, the decentralized domain name system for .eth domains, is simplifying the complex realm of Web3 by offering user-friendly names for wallet addresses. Through their collaboration with GoDaddy, Web3 users can effortlessly link their .eth domains to traditional URLs, eliminating the previously intimidating gas fees.
Nick Johnson, the founder of ENS, highlighted the practical implications of this partnership, using Beyonce’s domain as an example: “Now, Beyonce.xyz serves as her wallet identifier for all practical purposes.” This initiative seeks to streamline the process of connecting internet domains with blockchain addresses, making the Web3 space more accessible and user-friendly.
Despite a slowdown in mainstream Web3 adoption during the bear market, the ENS-GoDaddy partnership demonstrates a commitment to bridging the gap between blockchain and traditional internet infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to expand this integration beyond Ethereum, allowing users to set addresses for various blockchain networks.
Paul Nicks, the president of domains at GoDaddy, underscored the partnership as the “convergence of domain names and blockchain technologies,” representing a significant advancement for both the Web2 and Web3 ecosystems.
This partnership addresses the issue of high gas fees, which previously hindered users from migrating their domain names to ENS. ENS has introduced new smart contracts for the resolution process, making the transition cost-free and giving domain holders more control over their decentralized identities.
The positive impact of this collaboration is evident in the market, as the price of the Ethereum Name Service’s (ENS) token has seen a 6% increase over the past 24 hours, according to CoinGecko.
ENS domains experienced significant growth during the 2022 bear market, reaching an all-time high of 437,365 registrations in September 2022. Although the frenzy subsided later in 2022, ENS remains a major player, with over 2 million currently registered domains.
ENS and Unstoppable Domains Clash Over Patent Dispute
In July 2023, GoDaddy’s Web3 competitor, Unstoppable Domains, introduced enhanced payment methods and functionality for users to purchase .eth names, streamlining ENS domain management. .eth domains obtained from Unstoppable Domains now operate similarly to those registered directly through ENS, promoting interoperability between the two platforms.
This collaboration is noteworthy, given the ongoing legal dispute between ENS and GoDaddy concerning the sale of an ENS domain, “eth.link.” The dispute arose in November 2023 when ENS developers contested a patent filed by Unstoppable Domains, which claimed to have invented a technology utilizing blockchain for domain determination.
ENS developer Nick Johnson countered these claims, asserting that the patent relied entirely on innovations developed by ENS and did not bring any novel contributions. He clarified ENS’s role in mapping human-readable names to machine-readable identifiers on the Ethereum blockchain.
In response to the dispute, Unstoppable Domains CEO Matthew Gould denied accusations of intellectual property theft and explained that their patent applications were aimed at protecting their ability to operate and defending against potential challenges from large Web2 domain registries.
In summary, in November 2023, a dispute arose between ENS and Unstoppable Domains over a patent claim. ENS developer Nick Johnson refuted the claim, stating that the patent was based on innovations developed by ENS. Meanwhile, Unstoppable Domains CEO Matthew Gould clarified their patent filings as a strategic move to protect against potential actions by large Web2 domain registries.
