In a significant turn of events for the Bitcoin community, the original Bitcoin whitepaper is once again accessible on the Bitcoin.org website. This development follows a series of legal challenges involving Craig Wright, who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator.
Wright’s inability to prove his claims in court led to the reinstatement of the whitepaper, which had been removed due to a copyright lawsuit he initiated.
The Legal Battle Over Bitcoin’s Founding Document
The saga began when Wright sued the operators of Bitcoin.org, led by the pseudonymous figure Cøbra, for copyright infringement in 2021. Wright claimed he had authored the seminal document, leading to a court order that compelled the site to pull the whitepaper from visibility in the UK.
Despite this initial victory for Wright, his claim to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto—and thus to the copyright of the Bitcoin whitepaper—was critically undermined in subsequent legal proceedings.
The shift in the legal landscape came when a UK High Court ruled in March 2024 that Craig Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto. The judgment was damning, with the presiding judge noting that Wright had engaged in “technobabble” and had lied “extensively” during the proceedings.
This ruling paved the way for the Bitcoin whitepaper’s return to Bitcoin.org, celebrated by the site’s current maintainer, Hennadii Stepanov, who announced the update on X (formerly Twitter).
Throughout the legal disputes, the global crypto community rallied in support of the open access to the Bitcoin whitepaper. In defiance of Wright’s claims and legal actions, entities ranging from tech companies like Square to governments in the US, Estonia, and Colombia hosted the document.
Furthermore, 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.
Impact on Bitcoin.org and Crypto Advocacy
The restoration of the Bitcoin whitepaper to Bitcoin.org is more than a mere procedural update; it represents a victory for transparency and the decentralized ethos of the cryptocurrency community.
This outcome not only reaffirms the document’s status as a public domain work but also underscores the importance of maintaining open access to foundational crypto texts. It serves as a reminder of the community’s resilience and its commitment to resisting censorship.
As Bitcoin continues to evolve, the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains an intriguing mystery and a separate issue from the practical and philosophical advancements of Bitcoin itself. The re-posting of the Bitcoin whitepaper symbolizes a return to these core principles and ideals, which have spurred the growth of Bitcoin from an obscure digital project to a major financial asset.
The saga surrounding its copyright has not only tested the legal boundaries of digital copyright and identity but also reinforced the collective spirit of the crypto community in upholding the principles of decentralization and accessibility.
