That assumes there's some state that accepts or claims the responsibility of arbitrating issues of cryptocurrency ownership, and has both the capability and the will to enforce its rulings.
Which seems like just the kind of dependency many crypto-enthusiasts are trying to avoid; and it's unclear to what extent states are interested in taking on that responsibility.
Without that, it really is a wild west out there, where anyone who can guess my key is free to claim my wealth. That model may appeal to some people, but I doubt the general public will care for it.
It sounds like that guy created what appeared to be a legitimate wallet creation service, and then emptied the accounts of anyone who used it. That definitely sounds fraudulent.
We don’t know if the person “guessing” Ethereum keys is also the one generating them, but from the article it seems there are multiple people scanning for known keys, so at least some of them aren’t intentionally duping users.
Cryptocoin theft also seems have the same advantage as a buried bag of cash in that criminal prosecution doesn't prevent you from still owning the goods.
I suppose there's restitution, depending on venue.
In general governments are more than happy to arbitrate civil issues of ownership regardless of the property, but there may not be much appetite to pursue criminal investigation.
Which seems like just the kind of dependency many crypto-enthusiasts are trying to avoid; and it's unclear to what extent states are interested in taking on that responsibility.
Without that, it really is a wild west out there, where anyone who can guess my key is free to claim my wealth. That model may appeal to some people, but I doubt the general public will care for it.