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BITCOIN LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 873631882 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE I99 · Crime & Legal-Related · Medium ($1M-$10M) · bitcoindefense.org
revenue
$2.7M
expenses
$723K
net assets
$1.3M
employees
1
volunteers
3
program ratio
35%
mission · from form 990

BLDF SUPPORTS BITCOIN DEVELOPERS AND PROTECTS THE BITCOIN ECOSYSTEM.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund supports Bitcoin developers and protects the Bitcoin ecosystem from abusive litigation. Founded in 2021, it provides legal defense coordination, counsel retention, and financial support for developers facing personal lawsuits. The organization operates as a nonprofit foundation focused on safeguarding open-source development within the Bitcoin community.

named programs · 2 · from sources

What they call their work

Defense Coordination
Coordinates the legal defense of multiple developers in high-profile litigation, consolidating resources and legal efforts to protect the broader Bitcoin ecosystem.
Developer Legal Defense
Provides legal representation, strategy, and financial support to Bitcoin developers facing personal lawsuits, including those initiated by Craig S. Wright and Tulip Trading Ltd.
activities · 2 groups

What they do

  • Free and Open-Source Software Advocacy & Development 1 activity
    • Public advocacy and reporting on legal proceedings involving Bitcoin
      Engages in public advocacy by reporting on and publicizing key legal developments, including court referrals of Craig Wright to UK prosecutors for alleged perjury and forgery, and judicial rulings invalidating false claims about Bitcoin's creation.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Funding and supporting legal action to challenge false claims about Bitcoin’s origins
      Funds and supports litigation aimed at disproving Craig Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, preventing false copyright assertions over the Bitcoin whitepaper, and stopping baseless lawsuits against developers. This includes seeking judicial declarations, supporting cost-recovery efforts, and advocating for criminal referrals based on evidence of forgery and perjury.
    • Providing legal defense and financial support to Bitcoin developers
      Provides direct legal and financial support to Bitcoin developers facing litigation, including assistance with securing legal counsel, developing litigation strategy, and covering legal expenses. Coordinated the defense of over twelve developers sued personally by Tulip Trading Ltd. and by Craig S. Wright and affiliated parties.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$2.67M
Contributions & grants$97K4%
Program service revenue$2.57M96%
Investment income$1090%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$723K
Program expenses35%
Admin / overhead65%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$355K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$1.55M
Cash$1.54M
Investments$0
Liabilities$202K
Net assets$1.35M
Liquid reserves25.6 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue -20.0%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Jessica Jonas Chief Legal Officer 40 $340K
board members · 3
  • Alex Morcos — Board Member
  • Jack Dorsey — Board Member
  • Martin White — Board Member
relationships · 17

Who they work with

  • Block Partner — Partnered in legal effort to oppose Craig Wright's claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • CNBC Partner — Collaborates with CNBC to disseminate information about legal developments involving bitcoin.
  • COPA Coalition — Legal coalition in which Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund participated to challenge Craig Wright's claim.
  • Coinbase Partner — Partnered in legal effort to oppose Craig Wright's claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • Craig S. Wright Partner — Individual leading legal actions against Bitcoin developers supported by BLDF.
  • Crown Prosecution Service Government — Referred case materials for potential criminal prosecution of Craig Wright.
  • Crypto Open Patent Alliance Partner — Collaborated with COPA in legal proceedings against Craig Wright regarding false claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • Crypto Open Patent Alliance Partner — Collaborated with COPA in legal proceedings to oppose false claims about bitcoin's inventor and seek perjury referral.
  • Crypto Open Patent Alliance Partner — Collaborated with Copa in a legal effort to challenge false claims about Bitcoin's creator.
  • Crypto Open Patent Alliance Partner — Collaborates with COPA in legal actions to protect Bitcoin developers.
  • Crypto Open Patent Alliance Partner — Collaborates with COPA on legal efforts to challenge false claims of Bitcoin authorship and protect the open-source development community.
  • James Mellor Government — Refers judicial findings to the organization’s attention, supporting legal accountability through formal court referrals to UK prosecutors.
  • Reuters Partner — Collaborates with Reuters to disseminate information about legal developments related to bitcoin and perjury investigations.
  • The Times Partner — Collaborates with The Times to publish stories on legal issues related to Bitcoin.
  • Tulip Trading Ltd. Partner — Entity suing Bitcoin developers whom BLDF is defending.
  • UK High Court Government — Judicial body that issued rulings in a case supported by the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund.
  • Wright International Partner — Organization involved in lawsuits against Bitcoin developers defended by BLDF.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community-Funded Legal Defense for Open-Source Developers
    methodology: community-funded legal defense
    By mobilizing community-funded legal support for Bitcoin developers, the organization strengthens the resilience of open-source cryptocurrency development—because protecting individual developers from targeted litigation preserves the collective capacity for innovation and deters legal intimidation of the broader ecosystem.
  • Legal Accountability to Deter Fraud and Uphold Truthful Origins
    methodology: legal-accountability
    By pursuing legal accountability for perjury, fraud, and false claims about Bitcoin’s origins, the organization reinforces judicial and public trust in Bitcoin’s decentralized founding narrative—because court-enforced consequences and public exposure reduce the spread of misinformation and strengthen ecosystem integrity.
  • Strategic Litigation to Protect Bitcoin's Decentralized Integrity
    methodology: strategic-litigation
    By initiating and supporting strategic litigation, the organization resolves foundational legal questions around Bitcoin’s ownership and authorship, thereby protecting open-source development and preventing fraudulent claims from destabilizing the ecosystem—because court validation establishes precedent that safeguards decentralization and deters future bad-faith claims.