Alibaba Claims Patented Cross-Chain System Is Better Than Cosmos

Alibaba says its "Unified domain name scheme" would simplify and improve communication between blockchains.

In a patent granted by the U.S. Patent Office last Tuesday, the e-commerce giant said its domain name system could enable cross-chain communications that are more simple and seamless than on existing interoperability solutions, specifically naming blockchain interoperability project Cosmos.

Alibaba says that assigning universally recognizable domain names to blockchains, or parts of a blockchain, could enable better identification and interaction with others in a broader network, in much the same way that entities recognize and communicate with one another using domain names, such as ".com" or ".org."

Cosmos, for example, requires that each blockchain retains separate identifications for each and every link it holds with another blockchain.

In its simpler system, blockchains only need one domain name - a unified blockchain domain name - recognizable and valid in any and all communication it has with other chains.

"[U]nlike existing cross-chain implementations such as COSMOS the UBCDN can be used and is recognizable globally by all blockchain instances in the unified blockchain network, despite how many relay chains are included in the unified blockchain network," reads the patent.

As such it isn't clear if Alibaba has any active plans to launch its domain name system at any point.

A possible real-world home for Alibaba's newly patented domain name scheme could be the blockchain platform for its subsidiary Ant Financial, which was unveiled back in November.

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