In a momentous development for the Bitcoin community, the original Bitcoin whitepaper has once again become accessible on the Bitcoin.org website. This significant event follows a series of legal battles involving Craig Wright, who had claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.
Wright’s failure to substantiate his claims in court resulted in the reinstatement of the whitepaper, which had been removed due to a copyright lawsuit initiated by Wright.
The legal dispute over Bitcoin’s founding document began when Wright filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the operators of Bitcoin.org, led by the pseudonymous figure Cøbra, in 2021. Wright asserted that he was the author of the seminal document, leading to a court order that compelled the site to remove the whitepaper from visibility in the UK.
However, Wright’s claim to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto and the copyright of the Bitcoin whitepaper was severely undermined in subsequent legal proceedings. The turning point came when a UK High Court ruled in March 2024 that Craig Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto. The judgment was scathing, with the presiding judge criticizing Wright for his use of “technobabble” and extensive deception during the proceedings.
This ruling paved the way for the Bitcoin whitepaper to be reinstated on Bitcoin.org, a development celebrated by Hennadii Stepanov, the site’s current maintainer, who announced the update on X (formerly Twitter).
Throughout the legal disputes, the global crypto community stood in solidarity, advocating for open access to the Bitcoin whitepaper. In defiance of Wright’s claims and legal actions, various entities, including tech companies like Square and governments in the US, Estonia, and Colombia, hosted the document.
Additionally, an individual compiled a list of over 100 websites that continued to publish the whitepaper as a form of protest against Wright’s aggressive stance.
The restoration of the Bitcoin whitepaper to Bitcoin.org goes beyond a mere procedural update; it represents a triumph for transparency and the decentralized ethos of the cryptocurrency community.
This outcome not only reaffirms the whitepaper’s status as a public domain work but also emphasizes the importance of preserving open access to foundational crypto texts. It serves as a reminder of the community’s resilience and unwavering commitment to resisting censorship.
As Bitcoin continues to evolve, the mystery surrounding the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains intriguing and separate from the practical and philosophical advancements of Bitcoin itself. The re-posting of the Bitcoin whitepaper symbolizes a return to these fundamental principles and ideals that have propelled Bitcoin from an obscure digital project to a significant financial asset.
The copyright saga surrounding the whitepaper has not only tested the legal boundaries of digital copyright and identity but has also strengthened the collective spirit of the crypto community in upholding the principles of decentralization and accessibility.
