Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak Victorious in Court Battle Against YouTube Over Bitcoin Scam Videos
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak won his lawsuit against social media giant YouTube for the unintended use of his image in videos promoting a Bitcoin scam in 2020.
A San Jose appeals court overturned a previous judgment that cleared YouTube of liability.
The appeals court ruled that YouTube cannot rely on a controversial communications law to shield itself from accountability in a scam involving the unauthorized use of the Apple co-founder’s likeness.
In 2020, Wozniak initiated a lawsuit against YouTube and its parent company, Google, alleging that they facilitated the proliferation of a scam targeting Bitcoin investors. This scheme utilized Wozniak’s image to deceive individuals into sending cryptocurrency to online fraudsters under the pretense of participating in a live giveaway hosted by Wozniak, promising to double the amount sent.
The scam involved doctored videos circulating on YouTube, wherein Wozniak appeared to be speaking at tech conferences, accompanied by promises of free Bitcoin. Viewers were instructed to send cryptocurrency with the promise of doubling their investment, a scheme that defrauded many unsuspecting users.
According to the lawsuit, users who fell victim to the scam transferred their cryptocurrency in irreversible transactions but received nothing in return. Over the years, multiple celebrities have been targeted and used to promote such scams.
In 2020, the identities of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, founders of the U.S.-based Gemini exchange, were used to lure people into giving up their crypto. The fraudulent scheme also exploited the names and images of prominent tech figures, such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
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