UK Court Reschedules Satoshi Nakamoto Identity Trial, More Evidence Allowed from Craig Wright
Summary:
The Satoshi Nakamoto Bitcoin identity lawsuit involving Craig Wright and Bitcoin Core developers has entered a new phase with the UK court setting a new trial date for February 5. Wright has been allowed to submit 97 additional documents, allegedly discovered on two USB drives, and is required to provide an additional 800,000 pounds as security for the developers' legal expenses. Justice Mellor has also ordered Wright to pay 65,000 pounds to COPA for expert testimony related to his Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Bitcoin Core developers dispute Wright’s claims and argue that Bitcoin code is open-source and freely accessible, contrary to Wright’s assertion of copyright infringement.
The dispute concerning the identity of Bitcoin's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, and the ownership of Bitcoin assets has entered a new stage, as a UK court has set a new date, February 5, for the lawsuit involving Craig Wright and Bitcoin Core developers. Wright, who in 2016 proclaimed himself as Nakamoto, the originator of Bitcoin (BTC), brought a case against 13 Bitcoin Core developers along with a number of firms, among them Blockstream, Coinbase, and Block. His allegations centered on infringement of his copyright over Bitcoin's white paper, file format, and the blockchain database. The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit entity, is providing legal representation to the accused group.
On December 15, Justice Edward James Mellor, during a pre-trial review, greenlighted Wright's submission of an extra 97 documents to bolster his claims. These documents were supposedly uncovered in twin USB drives located in one of his home's drawers in September, and part of their contents were LaTex files, an open-source system for document preparation employed for drafting Bitcoin's white paper.
Wright has been accused by the Bitcoin developers of creating counterfeit evidence, tampering with metadata, and intentionally delaying proceedings. As per their claim, the newly surfaced documents only appeared after they introduced 50 evidence pieces indicating that the material Wright had submitted earlier was doctored.
Justice Mellor has now approved a second security request by the developers, directing Wright to provide an additional 800,000 pounds (~$1 million) by January 5 as a protective measure for the developers' legal expenses, should he lose the case. Wright has previously deposited 100,000 pounds ($127,000) for security.
Justice Mellor additionally ordered Wright to pay 65,000 pounds ($82,000) to COPA for expert testimony fees concerning his Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Wright gave a report stating that his ASD condition was a disability that required certain accommodations for him during the trial, such as a clear list of every cross-examination question. This request was disputed by the developers, leading to the hiring of an expert to back their stance. As a result, Wright will only be permitted to use LiveNote Screen and manually write down inquiries during proceedings.
In Wright's view, Bitcoin Core developers form a "Bitcoin Partnership," alleged to regulate Bitcoin. He makes this argument despite the fact that Bitcoin code is open-source and distributed freely under the Massachusetts Institute of Technology license, thereby allowing any user to adapt it for any use, including for proprietary applications.
Published At
12/22/2023 11:46:58 PM
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