Uniswap Wins Patent Lawsuit Against Bancor in US Court

A New York federal judge has dismissed Bancor’s patent infringement lawsuit against Uniswap, marking a major legal win for the decentralized exchange and open source finance.

Key Takeaways

• A US District Court judge dismissed Bancor affiliated entities’ patent claims against Uniswap.
• The court ruled the patents covered abstract ideas and were not eligible under US patent law.
• The complaint also failed to plausibly allege direct or willful infringement.
• The case was dismissed without prejudice, giving plaintiffs 21 days to amend.

What Happened?

Judge John G. Koeltl of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York granted a motion to dismiss filed by Universal Navigation Inc. and the Uniswap Foundation. The lawsuit had been brought by Bprotocol Foundation and LocalCoin Ltd., entities affiliated with Bancor.

The court found that the patents at the center of the dispute were directed at the abstract idea of calculating crypto exchange rates, making them ineligible for patent protection under established US Supreme Court precedent.

Court Says Patents Cover Abstract Economic Ideas

The dispute focused on technology behind the constant product automated market maker model, a core mechanism used by decentralized exchanges to determine token pricing and manage liquidity pools. Bancor alleged that Uniswap’s protocol unlawfully used patented methods tied to automated token pricing systems.

However, Judge Koeltl ruled that the patents were directed to “the abstract idea of calculating currency exchange rates to perform transactions.” He described currency exchange as a fundamental economic practice and noted that simply applying such calculations in a blockchain environment does not make them patent eligible.

The court also rejected the argument that implementing pricing formulas through blockchain infrastructure or smart contracts created an inventive concept. According to the ruling, the patents merely applied existing blockchain and smart contract technologies in predictable ways to address an economic problem.

Importantly, the judge said that limiting an abstract idea to a particular technological setting does not transform it into something patentable.

Complaint Failed to Establish Infringement

Beyond patent eligibility, the court found the complaint itself lacked sufficient detail. The amended filing did not plausibly allege that Uniswap’s publicly available code included the required reserve ratio constant outlined in the patents.

The court also dismissed claims of induced and willful infringement. It found that the plaintiffs did not plausibly allege that the defendants were aware of the patents before the lawsuit was filed.

Uniswap had argued that its protocol code had been publicly accessible long before the legal action began. Following the ruling, Uniswap founder Hayden Adams wrote on X, “A lawyer just told me we won.”

The dismissal was issued without prejudice, meaning Bprotocol Foundation and LocalCoin Ltd. have 21 days to file an amended complaint. If they choose not to do so, the dismissal will convert to one with prejudice, effectively closing the case.

Broader Implications for DeFi and Open Source Innovation

The ruling is widely seen as a win for open source development within decentralized finance. By rejecting attempts to patent core automated market maker concepts, the decision reinforces the collaborative foundations that helped DeFi expand rapidly in recent years.

While the legal fight centered on automated market maker technology within a single blockchain ecosystem, the broader industry conversation is now shifting toward cross chain liquidity and interoperability challenges. As decentralized finance matures, builders and investors are increasingly focused on connecting fragmented liquidity across major networks rather than defending foundational exchange models.

For Uniswap, the decision strengthens its position in the decentralized exchange market and removes a significant legal overhang that could have created uncertainty for developers and liquidity providers.

CoinLaw’s Takeaway

In my experience, legal clarity often unlocks the next wave of innovation. I see this ruling as more than just a courtroom win for Uniswap. It sends a strong message that fundamental DeFi mechanisms cannot easily be locked behind patent walls. I found the court’s reasoning particularly important because it protects the open building blocks that developers rely on. If core exchange math becomes proprietary, innovation slows. This decision keeps the door open for builders, and that is a net positive for the entire crypto ecosystem.

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