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Bitcoin.org blocks access to Bitcoin Core for UK users

Mon 05 Jul 2021 ▪ 3 min of reading ▪ by Matthieu P.

Following the order to remove the Bitcoin white paper from its site, Bitcoin.org can no longer offer the Bitcoin Core software for download in the United Kingdom.

Unable to download from the UK

If you connect to the Bitcoin.org site from an IP address located in the UK, a 404 error appears when you try to download the Bitcoin Core client.

A message is also visible from any version of the site, stating that the software is currently unavailable for download in the UK, and download links will not work if you are located in the UK.

As a reminder, Bitcoin Core is a complete, stable and secure open-source Bitcoin wallet, but quite limited in its number of functions and relatively demanding in storage and memory.

Why is Bitcoin Core blocked?

Cøbra, the administrator of Bitcoin.org, put the block in place. It was a result of the case that brought against him by Craig Wright, which he lost by default for not wishing to reveal his identity.

Wright claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, therefore believes himself to be the author of the Bitcoin white paper. In this sense, he claims intellectual property over it and leads a crusade against websites making the famous Bitcoin white paper available for download.

Having failed to appear for judgment, Cøbra lost the case by default and therefore no longer has the right to offer the document on the site that he manages. He was also fined £35,000 to cover Craig Wright’s legal fees.

As a result of the judgment having taken place in the United Kingdom, the site Bitcoin.org can no longer offer the download of the Bitcoin Core software. Judge David Hodge, QC issued an injunction prohibiting Cobra from infringing Wright’s copyright in the UK, either through making the white paper accessible for download on the website or “in any other way.”

Nevertheless, through the use of a VPN, UK users can bypass this problem and download the Bitcoin Core wallet from the Bitcoin.org site.

Whether or not he is the real Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright seems to act in this way mainly to boost Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), a fork that separated from Bitcoin Cash (BCH), itself a fork of the Bitcoin we know and love.

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Matthieu P. avatar
Matthieu P.

Mon intérêt pour les nouvelles technologies m’a téléporté dans l’univers blockchain. Dimension à la fois complexe et tellement vaste que mon cerveau a d’abord réagi en mode "Error 404" frôlant la faille spatio-temporelle avant que j’en comprenne peu à peu les codes. Le chemin est encore long avant d’obtenir le salut du dieu Crypto, mais en attendant j’en profite pour partager ma passion avec vous.

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.