On October 8th, according to Protos, the US Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of 69,370 bitcoins (worth $4.40 billion) related to the Silk Road by Battle BornInvestments and others. Protos said that this means that these bitcoins may soon be auctioned. Previously, the US District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the US government should be allowed to dispose of the confiscated bitcoins in accordance with the law. Battle BornInvestments had tried to obtain ownership of the bitcoins through appeal, but the Supreme Court ruling frustrated its request. With lower courts ordering the US government to "dispose of the confiscated defendants' property in accordance with the law", US bailiffs or other agencies may soon receive instructions from the court to sell the bitcoins once stolen from the Silk Road.