YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — The highly-anticipated trial of the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) against Craig Wright kicks off in London on Feb. 5, 2024. The suit will bring legal clarity to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin (BTC).
For the uninitiated, Nakamoto released the Bitcoin whitepaper in 2008 during the Global Financial Crisis. Since then, the true identity of Nakamoto has been shrouded in mystery.
Things took an interesting turn when, in 2016, Australian computer scientist Craig Wright claimed he was Satoshi and the BTC copyright belonged to him. Since then, several court cases have ensued, casting doubt on this big claim.
Why is COPA Suing Craig Wright?
In a bid to claim copyright over Bitcoin and all of its derivatives, Wright has initiated a series of lawsuits against developers and crypto firms. His attempts to intimidate them and stop any publication of the White Paper have become a serious concern for many firms.
In response to the latest suit, COPA has filed a counter-complaint seeking “declaratory relief and related injunctive relief in relation to the Bitcoin White Paper.”
“Wright’s actions to date, which seek to suppress the publication of the Bitcoin White Paper by entities with whom he does not agree, cause harm both to the Claimant and its members, but also to the wider cryptocurrency community. Wright should not be able to suppress the Bitcoin White Paper as he is not the author,”
the COPA suit alleges.
The complaint further alleges that Wright’s actions hinder the progress of Bitcoin and scare away developers who wish to work on it.
The injunction asks the UK court to declare that Wright does not own any copyrights on the Bitcoin whitepaper. It requests the judge to prevent him from asserting any copyright claims and stop masquerading as Nakamoto without providing substantial proof to that effect.
Is Craig Wright Unsure About Winning?
The Craig Wright vs COPA lawsuit will determine the future of Bitcoin. It will help blockchain companies finally respite from the endless lawsuits. On the flip side, if Wright wins, he will have the legal right to assert his ownership over BTC.
However, Craig Wright seems unsure of a win. Last month, he offered a settlement to the members of the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) and all other parties involved.
In an open letter which he published on his blog, Wright laid out the details of the terms of his proposed settlement.
“Whether in their own capacity or by any affiliates, associates, employees or otherwise Opposition and I shall not exploit, and be prevented from exploiting any BTC, BCH, ABC or BSV database to create, copy, fork, or otherwise, a new Bitcoin database, and Opposition and I shall use best endeavors to ensure that no third party carries out the aforesaid,”
he writes.
Right off the bad, the offer is ridiculous. He demands that people agree not to fork Bitcoin. However, he created the Bitcoin Satoshi Version (BSV), which is a fork of Bitcoin. He has since claimed BSV to the “original Bitcoin.”
However, the COPA members rejected the proposal. The settlement offer shows that Wright is not confident of a win. Rather than lose in court and be legally prohibited from laying claim to Nakamoto’s name, he wanted to settle the issue outside.
Moreover, agreeing to a settlement would mean that COPA acknowledges that Wright has the legal standing to engage in such a settlement. For the developers, this was not an option.
Hence, as the COPA vs Craig Wright case unfolds, the future of the Bitcoin Network and the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto lies with the UK court.
