London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 29, 2026

UK Court Allows Australian Man Who Claims to be Bitcoin Creator to Serve Copyright Claim

UK Court Allows Australian Man Who Claims to be Bitcoin Creator to Serve Copyright Claim

The blockchain-based cryptocurrency Bitcoin has soared over the last year, hitting an all-time high of $64,000 a few days ago.

London's High Court has allowed lawyers representing Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who claims to be the creator of Bitcoin, to pursue a copyright infringement case against the operator and publisher of the bitcoin.org website known only as "Cobra." The move is a victory for Wright as he stakes his claim for Bitcoin's white paper, published by mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 – it laid the groundwork and outlined the technology behind the most popular and valuable cryptocurrency in the world.

Cobra's identity and whereabouts are not known, according to Reuters, which has seen the court filings.


Wright, who has residency in Britain, is demanding that bitcoin.org removes the white paper while accusing Cobra of wrongfully controlling the website. He claims he has evidence to support his allegations.

“We’ve been threatened to take down the bitcoin white paper by someone who obviously isn’t the inventor of bitcoin (if he was, that would make him the 25th richest person in the world, which he obviously isn’t),” Cobra told The Guardian in an e-mail.

“Seems like he’s trying to abuse the UK courts to make them try to censor the white paper and harass small websites like us providing education content with his behaviour,” they said.

Mysterious Satoshi


Bitcoin was created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 – this name, however, is a pseudonym, used by a person or a group of persons, who developed the cryptocurrency.

Nakamoto released the technical manifesto under an MIT permissive free software license.

“I’ve been working on a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party,” he said upon releasing the white paper.

After establishing the cryptocurrency, Nakamoto reportedly continued to work with other developers on Bitcoin until mid-2010, when he gave control of the source code repository and network alert key to software developer Gavin Andresen, and transferred several domains related to Bitcoin to prominent members of the community.

Nobody has heard from Nakamoto since April 23 2011, when he signed off an email saying, “I’ve moved on to other things. It’s in good hands with Gavin and everyone.”

Over the years, several people have been suspected of being the mysterious Bitcoin developer with – Wright being one of them.

Two separate investigations by Wired and Gizmodo suggested that the businessman could be the mysterious figure after Wired received leaked material from a source close to Wright, while Gizmodo received a similar collection of documents from a hacker.

Several days later, however, Wired pointed at several serious inconsistencies, raising concerns that Wright could be “a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did” invent Bitcoin.

One Man vs Bitcoin Community


Since then Wright has made a career from his claim to be Nakamoto. The businessman has eagerly sued prominent Bitcoiners for challenging his claim, leaving the community mulling over whether to remove the white paper from websites or to face one of the expensive lawsuits.

According to Wright, no other entity is authorised to host the Bitcoin white paper since he is, as he claims, Nakamoto. This, however, is at odds with the open-source, decentralised nature of the cryptocurrency.

Square, the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), an alliance formed by Square Crypto to pool patents and preserve the industry’s open-source spirit, has recently filed a lawsuit against Wright over his copyright claims.


Wright is still yet to provide conclusive evidence to his claim.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Automotive Manufacturers Urge Government Action as High Energy Costs and Global Supply Chain Disruptions Threaten Production
Metropolitan Police Issue Formal Apology Following Inadvertent Release of Confidential Information During High-Profile Investigation
Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison Unveils Devolved Budget Highlighting Housing and Public Service Adjustments
Energy Regulator Office of Gas and Electricity Markets Prepares to Remove Household Gas Standing Charges Following Treasury Mandate
Treasury Confirms Reversal of Planned Cash Individual Savings Account Allowance Reduction Protecting Twenty Thousand Pound Limit
Office for Budget Responsibility Revisions Predict Moderate United Kingdom Economic Growth with Elevated Inflation Pressures
Chancellor John Healey Delivers First Autumn Budget in Parliament Highlighting Temporary Bank Surcharge and Cost-of-Living Support
Met Office Issues Extended Forecast Highlighting Stable High Pressure Weather Patterns Across the United Kingdom
Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison Outlines Changes to Tax Thresholds and Residential Property Levies in Edinburgh
Financial Markets and Government Bond Yields Remain Stable Following Muted Reaction to Autumn Budget Measures
Defence Committee Chair Tan Dhesi Criticizes Budget for Delaying Critical Defence Spending Decisions to Next Year
International Monetary Fund Forecasts United Kingdom Economic Growth at One Point Three Percent for Year
Office for Budget Responsibility Assesses Fiscal Headroom Reduced to Fifteen Billion Pounds Following Global Energy Shocks
Chancellor John Healey Delivers First Autumn Budget Introducing Household Energy Support and Bank Tax Hikes
Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Faces Binding Vote Challenge as Local Councillors Launch High Court Legal Battle
Housebuilding Across Scotland Falls to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Declarations of a Housing Emergency
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown Organizes National Innovation Summit in Manchester to Boost Regional Competitiveness
UK Government Faces Mounting Criticism Over Lack of Environmental Consultation During Artificial Intelligence Datacentre Expansion Talks
Greggs Announces Closure of Four Major Manufacturing Facilities Across Britain Resulting in Seven Hundred Forty Job Losses
British Retail Consortium Warns That Cumulative Employment and Regulatory Costs Threaten High Street Price Stability
Lloyds Banking Group Chief Executive Charlie Nunn Warns That Increased Bank Taxes Could Deter Long-Term Economic Investment
Ipsos Polling Reveals Seven in Ten Britons Expect Personal Tax Increases Amid Deep Public Economic Pessimism
Chancellor John Healey Delivers First Autumn Budget in Parliament Amid Tight Fiscal Constraints and Slower Growth Forecasts
United Kingdom Finance Monthly Review Highlights Rising Long-Term Borrowing Costs and Persistent Energy Price Pressures Across British Markets
Royal Marines Pioneer Rapid Autonomous Drone Operations During Major High North Exercise Involving NATO Allies
House of Commons Justice Committee Urges Chancellor to Align Prison and Courts Reform Ambitions With Concrete Budgetary Resources
Government Investigates Rapid Artificial Intelligence Datacentre Expansion Strategy Following Scrutiny Over Power Grid Demands and Planning Backlogs
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Warns Third-Party Supplier Breaches Threaten United Kingdom Police and Fire Service Data
Number of British Businesses in Financial Distress Reaches Highest Level in Two Decades Ahead of Fiscal Announcement
Chancellor John Healey Prepares Autumn Budget Amid Intense Market Scrutiny Over Fiscal Headroom and Spending Pressures
Education or Indoctrination? The Growing Debate Over Religious Participation in British Schools
Germany's Vanishing Shopfronts: The Silent Collapse of the Businesses That Built Its Cities
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Agreement on Public Transport Modernization and Cross-Border Rail Infrastructure Funding
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Approves New North Sea Carbon Capture and Storage Industrial Clusters
Office for National Statistics Reports Stabilization in Private Rental Growth Across Major English and Welsh Regional Cities
United Kingdom Automotive Manufacturing Output Rises Moderately as Electric Vehicle Assembly Lines Expand in the Midlands
Competition and Markets Authority Launches Formal Inquiry Into Cloud Computing Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence Partnerships
Scottish Government Finalizes Emergency Budget Adjustments Following Multi-Year Public Sector Funding Shortfalls
National Health Service England Announces Major Emergency Care Overhaul to Alleviate Severe Winter Capacity Pressures
Chancellor Rachel Reeves Prepares Autumn Budget Amid Intensifying Scrutiny Over Public Spending and Fiscal Rules
Bank of England Signals Cautious Approach to Further Interest Rate Cuts as Persistent Wage Growth and Inflation Pressures Remain
Transport for London Unveils Expanded Zero-Emission Bus Fleet to Meet Capital Air Quality Targets
Higher Education Institutions Face Deepening Financial Strain Amid Declining International Student Enrolment
Automotive Industry Leaders Criticize Government Tax Policies and Urge Action on Retail Consumer Confidence
Environment Agency Issues Flood Alerts Across Scottish and English Waterways Following Heavy Rainfall
Independent Audit Highlights Persistent Security Vulnerabilities Across Legacy Government Digital Portals
Northern Ireland Political Leaders Clash Over Westminster Funding Allocations Ahead of Autumn Budget
Ethnic Minorities in England Face Significant Disparities in Routine Breast Cancer Diagnosis Rates
National Police Chiefs Report Alarming Surge in Domestic Abuse Cases Fuelled by Expanding Illegal Cocaine Market
Government Announces Two Hundred and Twenty Million Pound Pothole Funding Boost for Local Highway Authorities
×