I was recently interviewed by the incredibly charming Molly Jane of Cointelegraph’s Hodler’s Digest. We discussed the implications of Craig Wright, controversial Bitcoin hype-man, registering as author of the original Bitcoin white paper and source code. Previously attributed to the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, the copyright registration is the latest in a series of moves by Mr. Wright to claim he invented Bitcoin.
As you can see from my interview, linked above, registration with the Copyright Office allows you keys to the courtroom, among other benefits (e.g., statutory damages, attorney’s fees, prima facie proof of a valid copyright). It does not, however, go beyond a presumptive claim. The Copyright Office records the claim and ensures the registered work is at least as original as, to take one famous example, a phonebook. If Mr. Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, then it’s up to the real inventor of Bitcoin to step forward and challenge the registration.
