Bitcoin White Paper Returns to Bitcoin.org Despite Craig Wright's Failed Legal Actions
Summary:
After an unsuccessful legal attempt by Craig Wright to prove himself as Satoshi Nakamoto, the Bitcoin white paper is back on Bitcoin.org. Wright had previously won a copyright infringement case against the website's managers forcing removal of the paper. But his claims have since been refuted, rendering his copyright win invalid. Wright also sued 13 Bitcoin Core developers and several companies for copyright violations. Meanwhile, his £6.7 million worth assets have been frozen. The white paper now falls under the MIT open-source license.
After an unsuccessful legal action by Craig Wright to establish himself as Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious inventor of Bitcoin, the Bitcoin white paper is back on the Bitcoin.org site. Hennadii Stepanov, the person responsible for the upkeep of Bitcoin.org, broadcasted the return of the white paper on platform X by providing a link to its PDF version. Legal pressures compelled Bitcoin.org to restrict the white paper's accessibility for users in the UK, replacing it with a thought-provoking quote from Nakamoto: "Information easily spreads but is difficult to suppress."
In 2021, Wright successfully accused Cobra, the anonymous collective managing the site, of copyright violation and won by default when they decided not to defend themselves against the allegations. Following the decision, Cobra was directed to remit Wright's legal fees amounting to £35,000 ($40,100) and to remove the white paper's PDF version from the website. Wright had sought copyright registration for the Bitcoin white paper in the US in 2019.
Fast forward to 2023, Wright took legal action against 13 Bitcoin Core developers and a group of businesses, including Block, Coinbase, and Blockstream for copyright infringements linked to the Bitcoin white paper, its file format, and database rights to the Bitcoin blockchain. The Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund has fought back, emphasizing the growing pattern of unwarranted lawsuits against significant contributors to Bitcoin. The Defense Fund asserted that these legal actions impede progress due to the time, stress, cost, and legal hazards involved.
However, Wright's victory in the copyright battle is now in question, as his claims of being Nakamoto and the author of the white paper have been conclusively refuted, rendering his copyright assertion without merit. The comprehensive verdict was delivered in association with a lawsuit pursued against Wright by Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a group of reputable companies striving to prevent Wright from claiming ownership over Bitcoin's primary intellectual property. COPA claimed that Wright had participated in a complex ploy of falsification and deception to produce evidence for his claim of being Nakamoto.
In the meantime, Wright's assets estimated at 6.7 million British pounds ($8.4 million) have been frozen, following the approval of a plan by a UK court to prevent him from avoiding court costs. Presently, the Bitcoin white paper falls under an MIT open-source license, giving everyone the freedom to repurpose and alter the code as they see fit.
Published At
5/25/2024 1:39:56 PM
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