Bitcoin mining companies Marathon Digital and Core Scientific are being sued over encryption patents.

PANews, June 3rd, reported by Cointelegraph, that Malikie Innovations has recently sued Bitcoin mining companies Marathon Digital and Core Scientific, accusing them of infringing on its patent rights by using Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) technology. The company acquired 32,000 "non-core" patents from Blackberry in 2023. The lawsuit claims that the defendant mining companies used the patented technology held by Malikie in their Bitcoin mining operations. Legal expert Aaron Brogan stated that such lawsuits typically do not target individual Bitcoin users but may have significant financial impacts on the defendant mining companies, which could face six years of royalty recoveries if they lose. AMLBot's legal director Niko Demchuk believes that if the involved patent has expired or only covers technologies prior to the implementation of Bitcoin ECC, Malikie's claims may be difficult to establish. The outcome of this case will depend on the specific patent scope and court interpretation.