Malikie Innovations, a firm who gained thousands of patents from Blackberry in 2023, judged major mining companies of Bitcoin Marathon Digital and Core Scientific for the use of Elliptic Cryptography (ECC) used by the Bitcoin Blockchain, which claimed it.
The cases against Marathon Digital Holdings and Basic scientific Follow the modern Malikie ‘ Getting of 32,000 “non -core” patents from the communication company and former phone manufacturer, Blackberry, in 2023.
“This case is centered on innovative ground-breaking with elliptic curve cryptography (…) years later have been recognized and selected by Bitcoin designers,” the state of filing.
The lawsuit claimed that the defendants used cryptographic -based procedures covered under the patents held by Malikie to support their Bitcoin (Btc) mining operation.
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Are Bitcoin users at risk?
Aaron Brogan, founder and attorney management of Brogan Law, told Cointelegraph that it is not likely that such suits will be hit by most individuals who use Bitcoin, even though patents are found in effect:
“The pursuit of individuals is more credible because they are often ‘judging,’ which destroys the Jargon attorney.”
Miners, on the other hand, are wealthy targets that deserve a lawsuit. Brogan said “these creatures always tend to attract suits because they have the money, and the patent bar can try to bring it to them.”
If the plaintiffs prevail, they will be able to recover for up to six years of lost royalties. The sum of which translates is not easy to calculate. Such cases often result in a second test, “but you can reasonably assume that this is a huge amount, and it can cause the defendants to enter into losses,” Brogan added.
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Large -scale consequence
Brogan also noted that the case would be the case to establish an essential predecessor for Malikie’s use in pursuit of cases against other miners in the United States. In turn, it can have harmful consequences for Bitcoin.
“If they choose to pursue that approach, it may ruin the security of the Bitcoin network,” he said.
However, Brogan argues that the Malikies are more likely to try to get a fee until patents expire, rather than a tank the entire industry. Niko Demchuk, head of legal compliance with cryptocurrency and forensics firm Amlbot, told Cointelegraph that it was not likely:
“Malikie’s claims appear to be not very strong if the asserted patents expire or cover techniques that predict Bitcoin’s ECC implementation. Although some patents remain active, their range is likely to be limited to specific details of implementation, not the main ecca algorithms used in Bitcoin,” said Demchuk. However, uncertain, he added:
“However, the outcome depends on the details of the specific patents inspired and the court interpretation of their scope.”
This is not the first time that intellectual-related suits are targeted by Bitcoin. Bitcoin.org’s website has been made Re -uploading a copy of Bitcoin White Paper Little over a year ago After that has been obtained During Craig Wright’s unsuccessful attempt to prove that he was Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of the protocol.
Wright worked to claim the owner of the key components of the technology behind Bitcoin. In the two years before 2019, he has Filed by 114 Blockchain-related patents.
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