Wright & Ors v BTC Core & Ors [2023] EWHC 222 (Ch) (07 February 2023)

Wright & Ors v BTC Core & Ors [2023] EWHC 222 (Ch) (07 February 2023)

There is no serious issue to be tried regarding subsistence of copyright in the Bitcoin File Format because the format is not fixed in a material form and lacks content indicating structure; only structure is reflected, not defined, in the blocks. Database rights and copyright in the White Paper raise serious issues to be tried, but not the Bitcoin File Format claim.

Citation
[2023] EWHC 222 (Ch)
Parties
Claimant: Dr Craig Steven Wright; Claimant: Wright International Investments Limited; Claimant: Wright International Investments UK Limited; Defendant: BTC Core; Defendant: Wladimir Jasper van der Laan; Defendant: Jonas Schnelli; Defendant: Pieter Wuille; Defendant: Marco Patrick Falke; Defendant: Samuel Dobson; Defendant: Michael Rohan Ford; Defendant: Cory Fields; Defendant: George Michael Dombrowski (Luke Dashjr); Defendant: Matthew Gregory Corallo; Defendant: Peter Todd; Defendant: Gregory Fulton Maxwell; Defendant: Eric Lombrozo; Defendant: John Newbery; Defendant: Peter John Bushnell; Defendant: Block, Inc.; Defendant: Spiral BTC, Inc.; Defendant: Square Up Europe Ltd; Defendant: Blockstream Corporation Inc.; Defendant: Chaincode Labs, Inc; Defendant: Coinbase Global Inc.; Defendant: CB Payments, Ltd; Defendant: Coinbase Europe Limited; Defendant: Coinbase Inc.; Defendant: Crypto Open Patent Alliance; Defendant: Squareup International Limited
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Judgment Date
07 February 2023
Procedural Posture
Intellectual Property / Application for Permission to Serve Out of Jurisdiction
Outcome
Permission granted to serve out of jurisdiction, conditional on deletion of claims concerning copyright in the Bitcoin File Format.
Legal Topics
Copyright Subsistence, File Format Copyright, Database Right, Fixation Requirement, Bitcoin Blockchain
Intellectual Property Copyright Law Database Rights Copyright Subsistence File Format Copyright Database Right Fixation Requirement Bitcoin Blockchain

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Parties

Dr Craig Steven Wright

Claimant

Wright International Investments Limited

Claimant

Wright International Investments UK Limited

Claimant

BTC Core

Defendant

Wladimir Jasper van der Laan

Defendant

Jonas Schnelli

Defendant

Pieter Wuille

Defendant

Marco Patrick Falke

Defendant

Samuel Dobson

Defendant

Michael Rohan Ford

Defendant

Cory Fields

Defendant

George Michael Dombrowski (Luke Dashjr)

Defendant

Matthew Gregory Corallo

Defendant

Peter Todd

Defendant

Gregory Fulton Maxwell

Defendant

Eric Lombrozo

Defendant

John Newbery

Defendant

Peter John Bushnell

Defendant

Block, Inc.

Defendant

Spiral BTC, Inc.

Defendant

Square Up Europe Ltd

Defendant

Blockstream Corporation Inc.

Defendant

Chaincode Labs, Inc

Defendant

Coinbase Global Inc.

Defendant

CB Payments, Ltd

Defendant

Coinbase Europe Limited

Defendant

Coinbase Inc.

Defendant

Crypto Open Patent Alliance

Defendant

Squareup International Limited

Defendant

Procedural Posture

Intellectual Property / Application for Permission to Serve Out of Jurisdiction

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Does copyright subsist in the Bitcoin File Format?
  2. 2 Is the Bitcoin File Format fixed in a material form for copyright purposes?
  3. 3 Are database rights and copyright in the White Paper infringed by operation of BTC and BCH blockchains?

Ratio Decidendi

There is no serious issue to be tried regarding subsistence of copyright in the Bitcoin File Format because the format is not fixed in a material form and lacks content indicating structure; only structure is reflected, not defined, in the blocks. Database rights and copyright in the White Paper raise serious issues to be tried, but not the Bitcoin File Format claim.

Court Disposition

Permission granted to serve out of jurisdiction, conditional on deletion of claims concerning copyright in the Bitcoin File Format.

Orders

  • Claimants may serve Re-Amended Claim Form and Amended Particulars of Claim out of jurisdiction on relevant Defendants, provided claims of infringement of copyright in the Bitcoin File Format are deleted.