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It could be argued that if Satoshi is a person, and that person created Bitcoin on equipment provided by a workplace, during work time... and if those first 1 m
by buro9 11y ago
It could be argued that if Satoshi is a person, and that person created Bitcoin on equipment provided by a workplace, during work time... and if those first 1 million bitcoins were mined on equipment owned by a workplace...
Then depending on the legal jurisdiction of that person...
* The employer have a claim on the IP and the initial licence was incorrect
* The employer have a claim on the bitcoins
* The employer could have a claim on any core patent that arises
This is just from a UK patent law based view where it is repeatedly made clear to employees not to work on side projects or other things on work equipment and time.
So there is a potential legal risk, if it's determined that Satoshi was working on this using his employers resources.
- bobwaycott 11y agoWell, shit. That's pretty heavy. I suppose I would want to remain anonymous if I was concerned about that scenario.
- PakG1 11y agoDoesn't matter if you did a good job documenting and proving that you didn't use work equipment. I remember a speaker once telling an audience something like don't even use the same brand pens or notebooks purchased by your employer to jot down your ideas and stuff.
- bobwaycott 11y agoWell, of course, as long as those are the rules and the scenario. The grandparent offered a bit different scenario. The moral is quite clear, though: don't ever, ever use someone else's equipment and time to build your own thing.
- PakG1 11y agoAnd now I realize how heavy that scenario is too. Dang. That's heavy.
- estefan 11y agoPlus the Capital Gains Tax payable on 1.1m bitcoins when sold...