A British court has granted an appeal to Craig Wright to argue his case in a copyright lawsuit concerning Bitcoin (BTC), according to a recent court filing.
Wright, who has claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin since 2016, has filed a lawsuit against 13 Bitcoin Core developers and several companies, including Blockstream, Coinbase, and Block, alleging violations of his copyright on the Bitcoin white paper, its file format, and database rights on the Bitcoin blockchain.
This decision came in contrast to a ruling made in February, which stated that Wright’s arguments were insufficient to establish the initial recording of the Bitcoin file format—a key requirement for copyright protection.
At the time, the UK Court dismissed Wright’s plea to block the operation of Bitcoin and its fork, Bitcoin Cash, due to intellectual property infringement.
“The Claimants might view themselves as unfortunate for having their application for leave to serve out heard by a Judge who possesses at least some comprehension of the technology at hand,” stated the decision from February, which denied permission to appeal.
Craig Wright maintains that the Bitcoin Satoshi Vision blockchain, which he developed through a different Bitcoin fork, is the true underlying blockchain for the Bitcoin cryptocurrency.
However, the question of whether Wright is truly the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin, known as Satoshi Nakamoto, will be settled during a trial scheduled to commence in January 2024.
Witnesses Present Evidence Wright is Not Satoshi Nakamoto
In a prior Oslo case, witnesses presented forensic evidence that raised doubts about the legitimacy of the documents submitted by Wright to validate his assertion as Nakamoto.
These documents were found to have inconsistencies, including the use of fonts that were not in existence during the purported creation period.
The Defense Fund, representing the developers, contends that Wright has not furnished any substantial evidence to back his claim as Nakamoto.
According to their argument, Wright must first establish his identity as Nakamoto before the courts can proceed with deliberations on the three main claims put forth in the lawsuit. The trial is scheduled to commence in early 2024.
It is crucial to emphasize that the Bitcoin code operates as an open-source project and is freely distributed under the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) license. This license allows users to utilize the code for various purposes, including creating proprietary software.
In contrast, Wright argues that the Bitcoin Core developers function as a centralized entity known as the “Bitcoin Partnership,” which exercises control over the Bitcoin network.
Adding to the challenges to Wright’s claim as the enigmatic Bitcoin creator, recent investigations have presented evidence suggesting that Nakamoto might actually be a collective entity.
One significant piece of evidence is the usage of both “we” and “I” in the Bitcoin white paper, hinting at the possibility of a team operating under a single pseudonym. This discovery casts doubt on Wright’s assertion of being the sole individual behind the creation of Bitcoin.
Linguistic analysis of Nakamoto’s writings has provided additional evidence that supports the notion of a collective effort behind the pseudonym.
The white paper itself exhibits impeccable English, showcasing a writing style characterized by precise language and the adept use of technical terminology. However, when examining Nakamoto’s writing style in forums and email correspondences, a noticeable difference emerges, implying the involvement of multiple individuals.
By analyzing Nakamoto’s forum posts, experts have observed variations in writing styles, further strengthening the hypothesis that a group of individuals might be responsible for the creation and maintenance of the Bitcoin project under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto. This linguistic analysis adds to the growing body of evidence challenging Wright’s claim to be the sole creator of Bitcoin.
