UK Court Rules Craig Wright Has No Copyright Claim On Bitcoin

The ruling is the latest in a string of court cases that have ended with a decision against Craig Wright.

A United Kingdom court has ruled against Craig Wright, indicating that he has no copyright claim over Bitcoin’s code.

According to the Tuesday ruling, Wright’s claim that the formatting of Bitcoin blocks is his intellectual property failed in the court of law, due to the inability to demonstrate what is known as “fixation.” Fixation describes the ability to show the first recording of a piece of work, which Wright could not do.

This is the latest in a series of court rulings against Wright’s favor, with the Norwegian courts ruling against him in the case against Hodlonaut, and the United Kingdom ruling against him in his case with Peter McCormack.

For Bitcoin developers and open-source code developers, the attacks by Craig Wright have been a moment of hesitancy, and even fear. The litigation that ties up developers as a result of these lawsuits is incredibly expensive, and creates major problems in the lives of developers. While funds have been put together before in order to support those who need it, rulings that reinforce the idea that Bitcoin is not a copyrighted code with limited access set important precedent.

It also serves as a reminder of Bitcoin’s open-source nature and reinforces the idea that anyone can contribute to its development without fear of legal repercussions. This ruling is a victory for open-source developers and the Bitcoin community.

8 February 2023 21:21