Interesting quandary. As a loose analogy, isn't this roughly equivalent to what commercial banks do? They hold the funds, then use that value to generate additional value? It's not like they seek permission from you about how they use that wealth. Maybe you earn some interest in the process, but when you eventually withdraw your funds, the bank do keep the profits they made from the value they generated from you.
Yes, but he couldn't exactly engage in fractional reserve banking, or gamble/invest with those funds, because I think the contract stated that the coins were to remain in the specific escrow address, not to be moved around and such..
But signing a BTC signed message from the address did not breach that contract..
Another way to look at it, if OG was claiming airdrops from all of his keys, why skip that key?
But you don't pay a bank to hold your money do you?
It happens..
Many accounts have fees for the use of them..
Negative interest rates happen sometimes too..
Escrow agents are not free..