- A UK court has ruled against Craig Wright in claiming copyright over Bitcoin’s code.
- Wright was unable to demonstrate “fixation” of the code, which would have been necessary for his claim to succeed.
- The ruling is a victory for open-source developers and the Bitcoin community, as it sets an important legal precedent.
UK Court Rules 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.”
What Is 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.
Ruling Is A Victory For Open-Source Developers
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 their lives. 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 that anyone can contribute without fear of legal repercussions. This ruling is a victory for open-source developers and the Bitcoin community.
Legal Precedent Set By Ruling
The Tuesday ruling sets an important legal precedent regarding ownership claims on open source codes like Bitcoin. It reinforces that such codes are not owned by any one person or entity but belong instead to everyone who contributes their time and effort into developing them further. This means that anyone can use them without fear of repercussion or retribution from any single party trying to take ownership away from them.