Stealing technology and research is not new in the world of big tech companies. The phenomenon is now expanding to the crypto space and the charges against the CEO of Coinbase are among the biggest allegations of plagiarism and stealing intellectual property. Blockchain startup MouseBelt Lab has accused Brain Armstrong of stealing the company’s work without due permission or credits. Brian Armstrong is a leading cryptocurrency entrepreneur and the CEO of Coinbase. Coinbase is among the largest cryptocurrency firms in the world, and such an allegation can have negative effects on its brand image.
The controversy stems from two blockchain startups, Knowledge and Brian Armstrong’s ResearchHub. Both these platforms act as repositories of scientific and research papers, which can be accessed via digital tokens. Knowledge is a startup where MouseBelt Labs invested heavily, and Brian Armstrong also showed interest. ResearchHub, on the other hand, is an entity of Coinbase and uses the exact model of Knowledge. Owing to the similarities in technology and processes, MouseBelt Labs has accused Armstrong and Coinbase of illegally using the technology without acquiring it.
Elliot Suthers from Coinbase claims that the allegations are completely false and frivolous. Coinbase is also ready to take the matter to court. MouseBelt Labs, on the other hand, has already sued Brian Armstrong with charges of deceit and fraud. The crypto community of the United States is now eagerly looking up to the outcome of the case.
