The developer has taken to Nostr to explain why the NFT project using its name is not authorized.
Prolific Bitcoin Core developer Luke Dashjr has publicly announced his disapproval of the Ordinal project associated with his name.
In a post on the decentralized social media platform Nostr, Dashjr explained his involvement in the project, saying that “I do not agree to use my code or my name for this purpose. However, third parties are marketing my name and my code for their own money.
Dashjr also noted that NFT sellers have approached him about what he interpreted as bribes, writing that “The public also needs to know that the seller and / or the auction site donates 90% of the auction proceeds. “I have to choose to accept” that. I feel this is a clear attempt to: (1) bribe me into silence; and/or (2) obtain consent after the fact. I will not accept such payment at the expense of a misled public. I will not accept such a ‘donation’.
Core developers have previously expressed their displeasure and frustration with the Ordinals project, call it spam and attacks on Bitcoin.
Dashjr expresses a strong desire that the proceeds of the purchase be returned to the purchaser. He concluded with a message about his situation and what he felt could affect other figures in the Bitcoin space, saying “I feel the need to speak, not only for me, but for other Bitcoin developers who are placed in the same situation. The amount of money offered as a ‘donation ‘ to meet what happened is enough. I do not admit it. I do not consent to use the name or code for this grift. I want the public to know where I stand.
“I want to do whatever I can to limit the damage that is sure to be caused by this confusing and misleading behavior.”
These posts could signal a much-needed conversation about rights and ownership of what is uploaded to the Bitcoin blockchain via the Ordinals protocol.