🎨 Will the claim for the lost Bitcoin hard drive worth more than 500 million pounds usher in the dawn of hope?
James Howells, a British IT engineer and an early Bitcoin developer, accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins in 2013, which are currently worth nearly 500 million pounds.
Howells has tried many times to retrieve the hard drive from the landfill owned by the Newport City Council, but the city council has always rejected his excavation request on the grounds of environmental issues. Therefore, Howells filed a lawsuit against the city council, demanding compensation for losses of 495 million pounds (about 647 million US dollars).
He proposed that if the city council allowed him to excavate the landfill, he would be willing to bear the excavation costs himself, and promised to give the city council a 10% return if he successfully recovered the Bitcoin.
At the same time, Howells has formed a professional team, including former landfill managers, to increase the possibility of recovering the hard drive, and promised to comply with environmental standards and solve the problem of hazardous waste in the landfill.
The city council strongly opposed the lawsuit, calling Howells's claim "weak" and pointing out that since the hard drive had been discarded, only the city council currently has legal ownership of the hard drive.
It is reported that the lawsuit is expected to go to trial in December, and Howells vowed to continue to retrieve and try to recover the hard drive until the judge formally stops him.
🧐 Viewpoint:
This case not only involves the loss of personal wealth, but also touches on the complex issues of the legal status and property attributes of Bitcoin, and also highlights the gray area of legal protection of digital assets, especially when it comes to issues such as loss and recovery.
At the same time, it also reminds us that as the value of digital currencies fluctuates and grows, the relevant legal framework and regulatory policies need to be clearer and more complete to protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors.
💬 What do you think about this legal dispute involving huge amounts of Bitcoin? Do you think the city council agreed to Howells' lawsuit compensation or chose to settle by allowing mining?
