Join the most important conversation in crypto and Web3 taking place in Austin, Texas, April 26-28.
The file format of bitcoin can’t be protected by copyright, a U.K. judge has found, ruling against self-proclaimed inventor of the cryptocurrency Craig Wright.
In a Tuesday ruling, Judge James Mellor said the file format of bitcoin – the sequence of a header and list of transactions that together form a block – can’t be treated like a literary work, because Wright can’t show how they were first recorded, a test known in copyright law as fixation.
“I do not see any prospect of the law as currently stated and understood in the caselaw allowing copyright protection of subject-matter which is not expressed or fixed anywhere,” Mellor said in a ruling for the High Court of England and Wales.
“It remains the case that no relevant ‘work’ has been identified containing content which defines the structure of the Bitcoin File Format,” though Wright and the two investment companies making the claim had been given “ample opportunity” to do so, Mellor added.
The claim was made against a host of defendants associated with Bitcoin, including several units of crypto exchange Coinbase. Wright said that the Bitcoin Satoshi Version (BSV) is the authentic form of the cryptocurrency.
Claims concerning copyright to the 2008 White Paper, and whether Wright is really the author, will be the subject of later rulings, the judge said.
Last week the U.K. Court of Appeal ruled that a claim by Wright’s Tulip Trading against 16 Bitcoin developers should go to trial in London.
In a case heard in Oslo last year, multiple witnesses offered forensic evidence that documents supplied by Wright purporting to back up his claim to be Nakomoto contain discrepancies, such as fonts that weren’t available at the time.
Read more: Craig Wright’s Abnormal Psychology
DISCLOSURE
Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.