The UK Court of Appeal has been examining a claim related to the copyright of the Bitcoin file format. The case is an appeal of an order by Mellor J, dated February 7, 2023, which refused to grant Claimants permission to serve the claim form on Defendants outside the jurisdiction of England and Wales. The complaint form focuses on an alleged copyright infringement in a work called Bitcoin File Format.

The First Plaintiff, Dr. Craig Wright, claims that he is the creator of the Bitcoin system, the author of the original Bitcoin source code, and the author of a document known as “the White Paper.” He alleges that he made the White Paper public on October 31, 2008 under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. This claim is one of four in the Business and Property Courts involving Dr. Wright, with a common issue being whether it was Dr. Wright who adopted the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto when he announced the creation of the Bitcoin system. This issue will be determined in a trial in January 2024.

Dr. Wright claims that he owns the copyright to two original literary works: the Bitcoin file format and the White Paper. He also claims to be the owner of the database rights in three databases related to the Bitcoin blockchain. The Second and Third Claimants are companies controlled by Dr. Wright, who have joined the case in the event that they own some or all of the claimed rights.

Dr. Wright has raised objections to two “airdrops,” which he claims made significant changes to the Bitcoin system without his consent. The first airdrop occurred on August 1, 2017, resulting in what Dr. Wright calls the BTC Network. The second airdrop occurred on November 15, 2018, creating another new peer-to-peer network, the BCH Network. Dr. Wright alleges that the operation of the BTC blockchain and the BCH blockchain results in the extraction and/or reuse of all or substantial parts of the databases in which he claims to own the database rights.

The outcome of this case could have significant implications for the copyright status of the Bitcoin file format and other similar digital assets. Cryptocurrency and legal experts are closely following the case. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, remains a mystery. Dr. Wright’s claims have generated controversy in the cryptocurrency world, and the resolution of the case may provide some clarity on these contentious issues.

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