GoDaddy, a company that provides domain names, is now the owner of Cognate, a Boston-based startup that uses blockchain to do Common Law trademarks registry.
Cognate reviews your proof of use, and once confirmed, creates a permanent, time-stamped record of your trademark information and proof. This record can then be used to prove, enforce, or maintain trademark rights.
In a company blog post, Cognate wrote, "We’re going to be working hard with the GoDaddy team on future trademark and documentation management services. The company's staff, including its 'all-star engineers' will join GoDaddy, suggesting that this is an acquihire situation.
The company was founded in 2013 by Bennett Collen, who is a coordinator of the Blockchain Task Force for the Emerging Issues Committee of the International Trademark Association (INTA).
