Author: Antoine Riard 2023-03-21 07:24:58
Published on: 2023-03-21T07:24:58+00:00
Antoine Riard, a long-time Bitcoin developer, received a letter from the law firm Jackson Lewis claiming to represent Chaincode Labs regarding "improper communications". The authenticity of the letter is in question and Riard is confused about its contents. The letter demands that he halt all improper and inappropriate communications with certain Chaincode employees, without specifying what constitutes such communication. Riard has previously found bugs and other issues in Bitcoin Core Github PRs of some Chaincode employees, which may have been deemed inappropriate by the law firm. Additionally, the letter claims that Riard had sent unsolicited emails to Chaincode employees in February 2023, but no explanation is given about how this is possible. The letter accuses Riard of conduct that was improper, but fails to point to a specific FOSS code of conduct. Furthermore, there is no code of conduct in Bitcoin Core, due to legal uncertainties. The lack of clarity in the letter makes it difficult for Riard to know how to respond. Despite mentioning legal action, the letter does not specify if these actions can target open-source communities and projects that Riard might be involved in. Riard also notes two troubling issues with the letter: the misspelling of his name and the fact that the lawyer issuing the letter specializes in labor law, not cryptocurrencies and FOSS software. Given the lack of sound legal advice on his side, Riard plans to reach out to the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund, which provides guidance to developers receiving legal intimidations in the pursuit of their open-source activities. However, since Chaincode Labs is among the organizations running the fund, Riard is unsure if he can ask them for advice on an issue that seemingly involves them. In conclusion, Riard seeks community feedback on how to proceed with the letter and apologizes to Chaincode Labs if he is sharing a forgery or non-authenticated document assigned to their organization.
Updated on: 2023-06-01T19:18:08.449078+00:00