- The Bitcoin whitepaper has been reposted by Bitcoin supporters after Craig Wright tried to get it taken down from Bitcoin.org and Bitcoincore.org
- Wright’s lawyers ordered the paper to be taken down claiming copyright infringement, despite no copyright having yet been granted to anyone
- Bitcoincore.org complied but Bitcoin.org resisted the measure
Craig Wright has sensationally tried to get the Bitcoin whitepaper taken off two key Bitcoin websites, claiming that he is the recognized author and the hosting of it infringes his copyright. Bitcoin.org and bitcoincore.org received the demands, which also asserted that Wright is Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto and so owns the Bitcoin name. Bitcoincore.org acceded to the demands but Bitcoin.org refused to do so, reminding their audience of Wright’s singular inability to prove his claims.
Wright’s Actions Oppose Satoshi Nakamoto’s Vision
Wright’s desire to be seen as Bitcoin’s creator has led to him taking ever more outlandish steps to prove it, but none has been so brazen as to try to get the Bitcoin whitepaper taken offline. The very act of censoring the Bitcoin whitepaper is so contradictory to Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision that it could stand on its own as evidence as to why Wright cannot legitimately claim to be the reclusive genius.
Wright instructed his lawyers to issue Bitcoin.org and Bitcoincore.org with demands to remove the Bitcoin whitepaper from their sites, saying that Wright owned the rights to the paper, the Bitcoin name, and ownership of Bitcoin.org itself. This breathtaking overreach of assumed authority was backed up by little or no factual evidence from Wright (other than that which Wright has doctored or concocted), but Bitcoincore.org nevertheless did as Wright asked, removing the whitepaper and all references to it in fear of a lawsuit:
Bitcoin.org stood firmer, however, with Bitcoin developer Cøbra stating on the website that they were not going to be bullied into taking such action themselves:
We will continue hosting the Bitcoin whitepaper and won’t be silenced or intimidated. Others hosting the whitepaper should follow our lead in resisting these false allegations.
Bitcoin Whitepaper Has No Certified Author
Wright’s claim to own the copyright of the Bitcoin whitepaper stems in part from an application he made to the United States Copyright Office (USCO) in May 2019, which Calvin Ayre’s BSV/Wright mouthpiece Coingeek claimed he had been granted. This was far from the case however, as Wright has yet to be confirmed as the author by the USCO, meaning he has as much claim to have copyright of the Bitcoin whitepaper as the four other individuals who have also claimed copyright of the groundbreaking document.
The fact that Wright is still trying to bully the community into being accepted as Bitcoin’s creator is bad enough, but his frankly disgusting attempt to stage a power grab over what is essentially the Bitcoin bible has crossed a line. If anyone outside his BSV cult had any genuine faith in the proposition that Wright is the Bitcoin creator, then this attempted coup, which is backed by absolutely no objective evidence whatsoever, should tell them all they need to know about him.
