Professed Bitcoin ‘Founder’ Wins Lawsuit To Keep $54B Worth Of Cryptocurrency
Image via Shutterstock
Bitcoin, one of the very first cryptocurrencies to hit the mainstream, was created all the way back in 2008 by someone under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
Now, Craig Wright, a computer scientist has won a landmark lawsuit allowing him to keep 1.1 million Bitcoin or, in fiat terms, US$54 billion.
The jury ruled that Wright’s former business partner had no claim to half of his assets. However, he will have to pay the family of Dave Kleiman US$100 million for intellectual property infringement.
The court case had been brought against Wright after Kleiman’s family claimed the two had worked together to create and mine Bitcoin, and that the former had stolen the huge stash. Following the verdict, Kleiman’s estate said it was “immensely gratified” that the money was awarded to them as “their fair share of what Dave helped create.”
More interestingly, since 2016, Wright has claimed that he is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin that has turned into somewhat of a legend in the cryptocurrency arena. He told the BBC that the ruling backed up his claim.
“The jury has obviously found that I am because there would have been no award otherwise,” he said.
“This has been a remarkable good outcome and I feel completely vindicated,” Wright added.
[via BBC, cover image via Shutterstock]
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