- Wright, who claims to be the creator of Bitcoin
since 2016, filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin Core developers and companies such as Blockstream, Coinbase, and Block. - His claim in this lawsuit was about the alleged infringement of copyright, file format, and database rights of the Bitcoin technical review.
- This decision reversed a February ruling stating that it did not provide sufficient arguments to demonstrate the copyright of the Bitcoin file format.
A British court accepted Craig Wright’s application for copyright protection of the Bitcoin file format, but this could be concerning according to BLDF.
Craig Wright’s Appeal Application Accepted
A British court accepted an appeal application on July 20th, granting Craig Wright the right to defend his claim in a case that the Bitcoin file format is well-defined enough to qualify for copyright protection.
Wright, who claims to be the creator of Bitcoin since 2016, filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin Core developers and companies such as Blockstream, Coinbase, and Block. His claim in this lawsuit was about the alleged infringement of copyright, file format, and database rights of the Bitcoin technical review.
This decision by the court reversed a February ruling stating that it did not provide sufficient arguments to demonstrate how the copyright of the Bitcoin file format was recorded.
In February, an application was rejected, stating, “The defendants may have had the opportunity to apply before a judge who understands the technology used here to some extent.” Wright said;
“Legal protection of intellectual property is necessary to secure the rights of creators and innovators and to encourage the production of new ideas, inventions, and creative works.”
BLDF Claims Wright Failed to Provide Evidence of Being Satoshi
The Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund (BLDF), as the legal representative of developers, claims that Wright has failed to prove that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin and the technical review and database.
In its statement, BLDF states that “Wright, despite claiming to be Satoshi since at least 2016, has not provided any evidence to support this claim.” It emphasizes that Wright needs to prove that he is Satoshi Nakamoto in order for the courts to decide on the three main claims named in the lawsuit. The case is expected to be brought to court in early 2024.
Bitcoin’s code is open source and distributed for free under the MIT license, which means users have the right to reuse the code for any purpose, especially in proprietary software. Bitcoin Core developers argued that they represented a “Bitcoin Partnership,” a central entity alleged to control the Bitcoin network.
A spokesperson for BLDF said, “They seem to be trying to muddy the waters and create the impression that Bitcoin development is a centrally controlled process by a few individuals, which is a fundamental argument for the case.” According to BLDF, the British courts allowing Wright’s arguments to be heard creates an extremely concerning situation not only for the crypto community but for the whole world. BLDF stated;
“It sets a dangerous precedent that developers accused of infringing on the file format of open-source software created by another person can be sued.”
