ICP vs. NEAR DFINITY Founder Claims 70%–85% Chance of Winning Web3 AI Lawsuit
Dominic Williams, founder of the DFINITY Foundation, has escalated his criticism of NEAR Protocol by alleging that its Confidential Key Derivation technology was developed using proprietary technology belonging to Internet Computer (ICP). Williams has raised the possibility of legal action, claiming that NEAR's technology is based on ICP's vetKeys system.
Williams' latest allegations intensify an ongoing dispute between the projects over privacy technology, artificial intelligence, and their approaches to Web3 infrastructure. He has suggested that the case could favor ICP, putting the likelihood of a successful legal outcome at 70% to 85%. However, the source material does not identify a filed lawsuit or provide independent evidence establishing the alleged technology copying.
Williams Alleges NEAR Intents Uses ICP Technology
Williams claims that NEAR Intents' Confidential Key Derivation (CKD) was developed from vetKeys, a proprietary technology associated with ICP. He has also alleged that the information may have been disclosed by a former ICP employee who was dismissed over similar misconduct. These remain allegations attributed to Williams.
The dispute follows his earlier criticism of NEAR's privacy-focused Confidential Intents and its NEAR AI offering. Williams previously described the project as “snake oil” and accused it of using “misleading marketing.” His latest statements extend those criticisms from product positioning to an alleged connection between NEAR's technology and ICP's proprietary systems.
NEAR Supporters Challenge Williams' Criticism
Some NEAR supporters argue that Williams' public attacks are an aggressive marketing tactic intended to redirect attention toward ICP, whose token has struggled to recover from its historical price levels. The source article places ICP at $2.70, more than 99% below its 2021 launch price.
NEAR advocates also point to growth in daily active addresses and institutional adoption as evidence of the protocol's progress. They argue that these developments demonstrate execution and ecosystem growth rather than speculative momentum alone.
ICP Supporters Point to Throughput and Decentralized Infrastructure
ICP supporters counter that the network offers technical advantages, citing a throughput figure of 2,000 blocks per second and hundreds of billions of transactions processed. They also criticize NEAR's reported reliance on centralized cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the client-facing portions of applications, arguing that this architecture could create a single point of failure.
The competing arguments reflect different priorities in the Web3 infrastructure market. NEAR advocates emphasize market performance, liquidity, developer adoption, and ecosystem growth, while ICP supporters highlight decentralized privacy capabilities, AI infrastructure, and technical throughput.
Market Position and Legal Questions Remain Unresolved
The source article characterizes NEAR as having the advantage in market capitalization, historical price performance, liquidity, and developer adoption. ICP, meanwhile, is presented by its supporters as having a stronger long-term proposition in decentralized privacy and AI infrastructure.
Williams' estimated 70%–85% chance of winning represents his reported position on the potential legal dispute, not an independently established assessment of the case's merits. The available source material does not establish whether legal proceedings have been filed or provide a response from NEAR addressing the technology-copying allegations.
source: coinpedia
Writer: Ethan Collins
Crypto Journalist
Ethan Collins reports on developments across the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector. His work covers market movements, protocol updates, regulatory changes, and emerging trends in digital assets.
He focuses on presenting complex topics in a clear and accessible manner for a broad readership.
Check out other news and articles on Google News
Disclaimer:
The articles on Hokanews are here to keep you updated on the latest buzz in crypto, tech, and beyond—but they’re not financial advice. We’re sharing info, trends, and insights, not telling you to buy, sell, or invest. Always do your own homework before making any money moves.
Hokanews isn’t responsible for any losses, gains, or chaos that might happen if you act on what you read here. Investment decisions should come from your own research—and, ideally, guidance from a qualified financial advisor. Remember: crypto and tech move fast, info changes in a blink, and while we aim for accuracy, we can’t promise it’s 100% complete or up-to-date.