The self-declared bitcoin creator, Craig Wright, has eventually won a lawsuit against Bitcoin.org on copyright infringement of intellectual property for hosting the Bitcoin whitepaper.
This means Craig will have the right to control the white paper that laid foundation for creating and deploying Bitcoin in 2009. Meanwhile, Craig will not impose any restrictions on accessing the White Paper but will impose what he believes is the right way to represent Bitcoin’s vision. A senior associate at Ontier LLP, Simon Cohen, noted Craig believes the White Paper should not be used to mispresent or promote assets that are not aligned to the vision of BTC. A whitepaper that he alleges to have authored.
The cryptocurrency community has dismissed any thought that the British courts recognized Craig as the rightful owner and creator of Bitcoin. Craig won the legal battle by default after Bitcoin.org’s pseudonymous owner Cobra chose not to show up to defend his case. Cobra chose to protect his anonymity more than seeking to win the case, therefore making it easier for Craig to win the case by default.
Bitcoin.org now has no choice but to remove the Bitcoin whitepaper and publish a notice on the website about the judgment. Furthermore, the website owner will have to pay an estimated $48,600 to cover for legal fees spent by Craig Wright.
In response to the ruling, Cøbra said the following on his Twitter:
Ideally, the root of the lawsuit stems from Craig Wright’s popular claim he is Satoshi Nakamoto. And for this reason, no one or entity has the right to host an intellectual property he authored. In this case, the Bitcoin whitepaper. For example, Craig sent out a cease and desist letter to Bitcoin core developers to remove the whitepaper. At the beginning of the year, he also issued letters to Bitcoin.Com, Bitcoin.org, and Bitcoincore.org to remove the bitcoin whitepaper from their sites.
Cøbra finally remarked on his Twitter account that he would settle the payment through a BTC address allegedly belonging to Satoshi Nakamoto, who is believed to be the original creator of Bitcoin.