Verisign Wins US Patent for Blockchain Powered Domain Names

Verisign, a major domain name registry that controls the ‘.com’ and ‘.net’ domains, has acquired a patent that applies blockchain tech to domain names.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted patent number 10,721,060 to Verisign on July 21.

Addresses instead of numbers

Titled Domain name blockchain user addresses, the new patent outlines some major benefits and technical advantages associated with registrants utilizing their domain name system (DNS) domain names in a blockchain network.

It can provide the ability to use domain names purchased in the traditional DNS environment in a blockchain environment. Verisign explained that by applying this technology, the registry enables users to turn traditional domains into a “blockchain user address” and interact with other participants on the network.

The technology allows users to use domains as “their blockchain presence,”:

“If a registrant owns example.com, they may wish to be able to use it as their blockchain user address. This enables a human friendly way to interact with other blockchain participants by using domain names as addresses instead of numbers [...] it permits blockchain participants to utilize their web presence, e.g., example.com, as their blockchain presence.”

More tools for secure two-factor ID

The patented techniques include management of public and private keys through a DNS registry on the blockchain network as well as operating requests for the so-called “proof of registrar” records. The system enables a blockchain network to receive and store the data about the domain name and its connection with an existing blockchain user address for the registrant.

It can also enable secure two-factor identification by “consulting the blockchain for a given blockchain network.” This will unlock additional tools to verify user identity:

“For example, if a given address on a blockchain has an attached phone number or email address, those could be consulted on chain as a source to send a message to, to confirm proof of address ownership.”

The domain name industry is not new to the crypto and blockchain technology to date. Companies like Unstoppable Domains and MyEtherWallet have been collaborating to enable the crypto community to buy ‘.crypto’ domains that provide decentralized domains. In March 2020, popular browser Opera became the first major browser to integrate the ‘.crypto’ domain extension.