On This Day in History: Satoshi Nakamoto Responded 16 Years Ago That Lost Bitcoins Were “A Donation to All Holders”

Today in history, 16 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto responded to a community user’s question about how to solve the problem of lost Bitcoin by stating: “Lost coins only make everyone else's coins worth slightly more. Think of it as a donation to everyone.” Recently, an anonymous individual and their Wyoming-registered company are attempting to have a New York court rule that the Bitcoin (and many other cryptocurrencies) belonging to Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, constitute “lost property.” This effort could profoundly impact the legal definition of self-custodied Bitcoin assets and reignite the long-standing debate over whether “dormant addresses” equate to unclaimed assets.