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15 July 2020 / Jeremy Clarke-Williams , Valya Georgieva
Issue: 7895 / Categories: Features , Bitcoin , Defamation
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The Crypto Factor

24272
Valya Georgieva & Jeremy Clarke-Williams investigate jurisdiction, lis pendens & the greatest mystery in the crypto world

In brief

  • Lis pendens doctrine applied in defamation claim.
  • No inviolable right to sue in UK where Lugano Convention applies.
  • Factors that make a country ‘clearly the most appropriate’ jurisdiction.

‘Bitcoin is the world’s first decentralised cryptocurrency. The concept and technology behind Bitcoin was first published in October 2008 when its pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, sent the now famous protocol to a mailing list of cryptography enthusiasts. That protocol has since spawned a system of value and exchange with a current market cap of $150 billion.’

Thus begins the complaint of Ira Kleiman, the personal representative of the Estate of Dave Kleiman, against Craig Wright, filed in the Southern District of Florida in February 2018. The lawsuit concerns the ownership of hundreds of thousands of bitcoin and the intellectual property rights associated with certain blockchain technology.

Craig Wright is an Australian computer scientist and businessman. Since 2016,

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Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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