Apple is under fire from the self-proclaimed creator of Bitcoin, Dr. Craig Wright, who claims the tech giant violated copyright laws by incorporating the Bitcoin white paper into macOS operating systems. The contentious figure made the accusation on Twitter after tech writer Andy Baio discovered the white paper hidden deep within new MacBooks since the Mojave version in 2018.
Wright, who insists he is the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto, responded affirmatively to a tweet questioning whether Apple might be infringing upon copyright. The exchange prompted some on social media to urge Wright to take legal action against Apple. However, it’s unlikely such a lawsuit would succeed, given Apple’s vast financial and legal resources.
The self-proclaimed Satoshi is no stranger to controversy surrounding intellectual property rights over Bitcoin and its underlying technology. Wright is known for “patent trolling,” a practice of filing numerous patent applications to gain legal authority over further creation and use of a technology, in this case, Bitcoin and blockchain. By doing so, Wright, or any individual or company employing this strategy, can seek expensive licensing and royalty payments while engaging in costly legal disputes to protect their intellectual property.