The non-transferability of miner rights is grounded in the principle that early miners, including Dr Wright, earned rights strictly linked to their participation in expanding the Bitcoin database, without obtaining ownership or control over it. Miners’ rights are limited to their operational role within Nakamoto’s original protocol, meaning they cannot independently modify or transfer these rights.

This distinction aligns with the precedent set in Football Dataco Ltd v Yahoo! UK Ltd [2012], which affirms that database ownership and control rights are enforceable solely by the creator or designated owner. The case underscores that only those with established ownership, not mere participants, retain exclusive control over database contents, thereby reinforcing that miners’ rights are confined to their functional contributions under the protocol without extending to proprietary claims.

Promissory estoppel applies here to prevent any assertion of ownership or control rights by HONEST miners, reinforcing the protocol's original design and the limitations set upon their operational role.

By participating under Nakamoto’s protocol, miners, including Dr Wright, have relied upon the assurance that their rights are confined to participation without granting any proprietary claim or ability to alter the protocol itself. Promissory estoppel thus bars miners from asserting control or modification rights, as any such claim would contradict the reliance-based understanding established by the protocol.

This doctrine ensures that only the creator or designated authority maintains exclusive control, as supported by Football Dataco Ltd v Yahoo! UK Ltd [2012], protecting the protocol's immutability and preventing any shift towards miner-held ownership or independent rights over the database.

S. Tominaga AKA CSW
Oct 30, 2024
https://x.com/CsTominaga/status/1851539051192730083?t=GjHXljp0iMeJSE80yS0cKQ&s=19

https://t.me/S_Tominaga/1765