Multinational e-commerce giant eBay has filed two cryptocurrency-related patent applications.
Published by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last week, the applications were both submitted on 18th April last year.
According to the filings, eBay wants to patent a “distributed cryptocurrency unauthorised transfer monitoring system” and a “distributed cryptocurrency reputation system“.
Ebay’s filings come after the USPTO published Coinbase‘s applications for nine bitcoin-related products and 21 Inc‘s filing for a digital currency mining circuitry patent.
Speculation about eBay’s possible involvement in crypto has been rife in recent years, with John Donahoe, CEO at the time, hinting at bitcoin integration for PayPal – eBay’s former subsidiary – on various occasions.
CoinDesk reached out to eBay for comment but not reply had been received by press time.
Hat tip: Brian Cohen/CoinTelegraph.
eBay image via 360b / Shutterstock.com