Craig Wright Meets Competition From Another Satoshi Nakamoto

Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist, is unexpectedly facing a rival. Shortly after he submitted a copyright registration for the Bitcoin whitepaper, another person is claiming to be the original author of Satoshi Nakamoto’s whitepaper. Wei Liu also filed an application to the U.S. Copyright Office to register the copyright for the Bitcoin whitepaper. According to the archive data, Liu submitted the copyright claim on May 24. Wright did the same on April 11. Wei Liu, a Chinese citizen residing in California, is claiming to have written the work titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” in 2008, as the application states. Later, in November 2008, Liu claims to have published the document on the web under the pseudonym of “Satoshi Nakamoto.” Initially, there was much confusion about the personality, and even the gender, of Wei Liu. Some claimed that a woman with the same name was a top executive at cryptocurrency exchange Bibox. However, new reports soon came stating that Wei Liu is a man and the CEO of cryptocurrency fund MarvelousPeach Capital.

Challenging Craig Wright

The reason behind this application was just an itch to counter Wright’s recent move and challenge him. Many in the cryptocurrency community didn’t accept Wright’s claim that he created Bitcoin (BTC) and reacted very strongly to his attempt to copyright the first and foremost cryptocurrency. Recently, John McAfee cheered such an idea, suggesting on Twitter that everyone should file a copyright for the Bitcoin whitepaper. Although Liu’s action was the first response to this call, others might follow soon.

Let's start a movement where all of crypto twitter files a copyright for that… I hear they'll register anyone and even when claims are competing… you have the power to kickstart it @officialmcafee

— George "Blueprints" Greedwood (@MightyChartist) May 21, 2019

However, Craig Wright is now widely known for his determination to sue those who disagree with his claims. So, he might choose to take legal action against his new rival.

Registration Doesn’t Equal Recognition

The U.S. Copyright Office published a special clarification on the matter, stating that it’s not its responsibility to investigate whether there is a provable connection between the applicant and his pseudonym. Moreover, when the U.S. Copyright Office receives an application, it doesn’t verify “the truth of any statement made.” Thus, registration does not imply an authorship’s recognition. The Office stressed this was the case with Wright as well — and he was not recognized as the author of the whitepaper and the code. The same disclaimer can be applied to the Liu’s registration, confirming that the U.S. copyright is totally meaningless. We still can’t say, for sure, who real Satoshi Nakamoto is. How many self-proclaimed authors of the Bitcoin whitepaper will come forward to challenge Craig Wright? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!