UK Judge James Mellor has rejected Craig Wright’s claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin, in a recent verdict.
The ruling came at the conclusion of closing arguments in the lawsuit brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) against Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has asserted his identity as Nakamoto since 2016.
COPA, an organization focused on promoting the adoption and advancement of cryptocurrency technologies while removing patents as barriers to growth and innovation, sought injunctive relief to prevent Wright from continuing to make claims of being Nakamoto.
The case brought forward extensive allegations of document forgery against Wright, suggesting that he had fabricated a significant amount of evidence to support his claim of being the pseudonymous Bitcoin founder, as reported by BitMEX Research.
The trial, which commenced on February 5, witnessed Wright offering to settle the case out of court on January 24.
However, COPA declined the settlement offer.
COPA Says Wright Engaged in Extensive Deception
COPA’s closing submission stated that Wright had engaged in extensive deception, emphasizing that he had invented an elaborate biographical history and produced a series of forged documents to substantiate his claims.
The evidence presented during the trial painted a picture of Wright’s alleged falsehoods on an “extraordinary scale.”
The trial is now over.
As the evidence against Craig was so strong, the judged annouced his early findings on some of the key issues at the end of the trial
It is now official from Judge Mellor:
Craig Wright is NOT Satoshi!!!
— BitMEX Research (@BitMEXResearch) March 14, 2024
The lawsuit against Wright is not the first legal battle surrounding his claims.
In 2023, he filed a lawsuit against 13 Bitcoin Core developers and several companies, including Blockstream, Coinbase, and Block, alleging copyright violations related to the Bitcoin white paper, its file format, and the database rights to the Bitcoin blockchain.
Wright had previously filed a copyright registration for the Bitcoin white paper and its underlying code in the United States in 2019.
However, it is important to note that the Bitcoin white paper is now subject to an MIT open-source license, enabling anyone to reuse and modify the code for any purpose.
The court ruling, if in favor of COPA, would curtail Wright’s ability to make further copyright claims on the white paper.
Nakamoto May be a Collective Entity
Meanwhile, in another blow to Wright’s claim that he is the mysterious Bitcoin creator, a recent investigation provided evidence to suggest that Nakamoto may actually be a collective entity.
One piece of evidence is the usage of both “we” and “I” in the Bitcoin white paper, indicating the possibility of a team operating under a singular pseudonym.
Another piece of evidence comes from the linguistic analysis of Nakamoto’s writings.
The white paper showcases impeccable English with precise language and accurate usage of technical terms.
But since Nakamoto’s writing style appears to be different in forums and email correspondences, this suggests multiple individuals were involved.