Craig Wright, the individual who proclaims to be the author of the Bitcoin white paper and claims to be Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, has achieved a notable development in the ongoing dispute over the intellectual property rights of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash. After appealing to a previous court denial, three UK judges have granted him the opportunity to present his arguments for copyright protection of the Bitcoin file format under UK law.
The case, which took place on February 8, 2023, involved Wright’s plea to halt the operation of Bitcoin and its fork, Bitcoin Cash, citing infringement of his intellectual property rights. Among the 26 defendants associated with Bitcoin were developers and entities from the crypto exchange Coinbase. Wright maintains that the Bitcoin Satoshi Vision blockchain, a creation resulting from another Bitcoin fork, represents the genuine blockchain behind the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
The recent ruling allows Dr. Wright to present his arguments, focusing on whether the Bitcoin file format qualifies for copyright protection under UK law. However, it does not address the definitive issue of whether the file format should indeed receive such protection or if the copyright rightfully belongs to Dr. Wright.
The pivotal question of whether Wright is the true Satoshi Nakamoto will be resolved in a trial scheduled to commence in January 2024. In a previous hearing in Oslo, multiple witnesses presented forensic evidence that documents provided by Wright to support his claim of being Nakamoto contained discrepancies, including fonts that were unavailable at the time.
The matter of copyright protection will be thoroughly examined during the upcoming trial, but a precondition exists: Dr. Wright must first demonstrate that he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto in a separate trial, solely dedicated to this specific issue, set for early 2024. The Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit established by former Twitter chief Jack Dorsey to support developers facing lawsuits, including 13 involved in this case, released a statement clarifying the situation.
While the acceptance of the appeal allows Dr. Wright to present his case, the Defense Fund cautions against a potential dangerous precedent. Permitting arguments regarding file format ownership of open-source software could potentially expose developers to lawsuits based on claims of violating someone else’s created software. Such implications may have far-reaching consequences for the broader development community.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the outcome of the trial in January 2024 will undoubtedly hold significant implications for the cryptocurrency world. The question of whether Dr. Wright is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto and the validity of his copyright claims over the Bitcoin file format remains to be determined. Until then, the community will closely monitor the case’s progression, as it may significantly impact the future of intellectual property rights within the crypto industry.
