Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor Craig Wright Proposes Settlement in COPA Case

By: Eliza Bennet

Controversial Australian computer scientist,Dr. Craig Wright, who has claimed to be the inventor of Bitcoin, has made a surprising move by proposing a settlement in his legal battle with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA). In his proposal, Wright offers to surrender some of his claimed rights on Bitcoin systems including Bitcoin Core (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), and ABC Bitcoin (ABC).

Wright's main wish is to maintain the integrity of the original Bitcoin system while avoiding the cost and diversion of a prolonged trial. He proposes irrevocable licenses to organizations operating these databases to encourage the commercialization of these technologies and support intellectual property rights.

He insists that COPA must publicly acknowledge that digital assets serve purposes not initially envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator. Wright also emphasized that Bitcoin's original purpose was to facilitate casual transactions. As part of the settlement, COPA members would avoid creating new Bitcoin databases through copying or forking, and would work to prevent third-parties from doing the same. He also suggests a charitable donation to Burnside, an Australian Uniting Church, to cover legal cost projections.

The disagreement between Wright and COPA arises from COPA's challenges to Wright's self-claimed identity as Satoshi Nakamoto. The case was set to go to trial on February 5, with the open-source development group (backed by industry leaders like Coinbase, Meta, and Block) revoking Wright's identity claims.