Craig Wright’s Copyright Claim: UK Court Decision
Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been granted the opportunity to present his case for copyright protection of the Bitcoin file format under UK law. The decision was made by a bench of three UK judges who accepted Wright’s appeal against a previous court denial, as stated in a recent court filing.
Whether Craig Wright is indeed Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto will be determined at a trial slated to begin in January 2024. He argued his case that the Bitcoin file format should receive copyright protection under UK law after a bench of three UK judges accepted his appeal to…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 22, 2023
UK Court Dismisses Wright’s Plea
On February 8, 2023, a UK Court had previously dismissed Wright’s plea to block the operation of Bitcoin and its fork, Bitcoin Cash, alleging a breach of his intellectual property rights. Wright’s legal claim targeted a total of 26 defendants associated with Bitcoin, including developers and various entities linked to the popular crypto exchange, Coinbase. Wright asserts that the blockchain he created, known as Bitcoin Satoshi Vision, is the genuine blockchain behind the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
However, it is important to note that this recent ruling only grants Wright the opportunity to argue that the Bitcoin file format merits copyright protection in accordance with UK law. The court’s decision does not definitively address whether the Bitcoin file format should indeed receive copyright protection or if the copyright should be attributed to Dr. Wright.
Bitcoin Copyright Dilemma
The ultimate determination of whether Wright is, in fact, the elusive Satoshi Nakamoto will be made during a trial scheduled to commence in January 2024. In a separate case heard in Oslo last year, several witnesses presented forensic evidence, revealing discrepancies in the documents supplied by Wright to substantiate his claim as Nakamoto. These discrepancies included the use of fonts that were not available at the time.
The question of copyright protection for the Bitcoin file format will only be fully resolved at the impending trial, but with a crucial caveat. Wright must first demonstrate that he is, indeed, Satoshi Nakamoto during a trial solely dedicated to establishing his identity in early 2024, as outlined by the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund. This case’s implications extend beyond Wright’s individual claims, with the Defense Fund expressing concern over the potential dangers it poses for developers. Granting legitimacy to such claims of copyright infringement on open-source software file formats may set a worrisome precedent, enabling developers to face lawsuits based on claims from others purporting to be the creators.
