Bitcoin White Paper Returns to Bitcoin.org After Legal Battle: Craig Wright's Claims Invalidated

May 25, 2024

Bitcoin White Paper Returns to Bitcoin.org After Legal Battle: Craig Wright's Claims Invalidated
Bitcoin White Paper Returns to Bitcoin.org After Legal Battle: Craig Wright's Claims Invalidated
Bitcoin White Paper Returns to Bitcoin.org After Legal Battle: Craig Wright's Claims Invalidated

Following legal constraints in the UK, the Bitcoin white paper has been reinstated on Bitcoin.org after being removed due to a copyright claim by Craig Wright. The return was announced by Hennadii Stepanov, the maintainer of the website, who shared a link to the white paper PDF. Wright had previously won a default judgement against Cobra, the anonymous operator of Bitcoin.org, in 2021, resulting in the removal of the white paper and payment of legal fees. However, Wright's claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto have been widely debunked, nullifying his copyright claim. This was affirmed in a detailed ruling related to a case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which accused Wright of forgery and deceit in attempting to assert ownership over Bitcoin's intellectual property. As a result, the white paper is now subject to an MIT open-source licence, enabling its free use and modification.