The UK court has set aside all judgments against Cøbra, the pseudonymous operator of Bitcoin.org. It is based on the long-running copyright dispute over the Bitcoin whitepaper.
This decision marks a major shift in the legal battle initiated by Craig Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.
From Default Judgment to Fraud Allegation
The court’s reversal stems from the revelation that the original claim, which led to a default judgment against Cøbra in June 2021, was “entirely fraudulent.” This development casts a shadow over Wright’s assertions of copyright ownership of the Bitcoin whitepaper.
The judgments against @CobraBitcoin have been set aside, because they were obtained fraudulently https://t.co/Z79wWX9iAm pic.twitter.com/eR1J04HBtW
— BitMEX Research (@BitMEXResearch) July 16, 2024
Initially, Wright’s lawsuit seemed to have succeeded when Cøbra chose not to reveal his identity to contest the case. This led to a default judgment ordering Bitcoin.org to remove the whitepaper from its UK site and pay substantial legal costs.
However, the latest ruling paints a different picture. The court has not only set aside the default judgment but also nullified subsequent orders related to the case. This includes the order permitting service, cost judgments, and other rulings made between April 2021 and October 2023.
This reversal raises questions about the validity of Wright’s claims and the potential consequences for his broader assertions of being Satoshi Nakamoto.
This relieves Cøbra of hefty legal fees and also reaffirms the open-source nature of Bitcoin’s founding document.
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