A judge recently released his ruling in the COPA case against Craig Wright, as reported by the New York Times: Craig is not Satoshi Nakamoto. According to the New York Times, this is a big win for Bitcoin.
Big victory for Bitcoin, according to the New York Times: Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto
As anticipated, the long-running legal drama between the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance ( COPA ) and Dr. Craig Steven Wright has ended with a final court ruling.
Dr. Wright, who famously claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin, was found to have engaged in deliberate deception to support his claim.
Thus ending one of the most sensational identity claims in the history of technology with a sensational judicial rejection.
The case against Dr. Wright revolved around his bold claim that he was the person behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Who introduced Bitcoin to the world in 2008 with the publication of the white paper and the release of the original source code.
COPA, which represents a consortium of cryptocurrency entities, disputed Wright’s claims, leading to a full judicial review of his alleged evidence and testimony.
The judge took a scathing view of Craig Wright ‘s testimony , saying that throughout the trial, Wright presented “clumsy” evidence in their attempt to deceive.
“Dr. Wright is not as intelligent as he thinks he is,” the judge noted, explaining that the defendant engaged in a pattern of lying, fabricating, and blaming others for the discrepancies and falsehoods exposed during the trial.
“AS SOON AS ONE LIE WAS EXPOSED, DR. WRIGHT RESORTED TO FURTHER LIES AND EVASION. THE FINAL DESTINATION OFTEN TURNED OUT TO BE DR. WRIGHT BLAMING SOME OTHER PERSON (OFTEN UNIDENTIFIED) FOR HIS SITUATION OR WHAT CAN ONLY BE DESCRIBED AS INCONSISTENT.”
Among the forgeries were documents that Wright presented as evidence of his involvement in the creation of Bitcoin, which were later shown to have been altered or fabricated.
Court denies Craig Wright’s claims about Satoshi Nakamoto
The ruling highlighted that despite Wright’s attempts to appear technologically and forensically astute, the forgery attempts were amateurish and easily recognizable by experts.
Significantly damaging to Wright’s case was the testimony of Stefan Matthews, president of nChain Group. The latter initially supported Wright, but the statements under scrutiny revealed inconsistencies and deliberate falsehoods.
The judge pointed out that while Matthews was “more careful in his lies,” his testimony ultimately did not stand up to the contrary evidence presented by COPA.
In contrast, Pieter Wuille, a well-known developer in the Bitcoin community, provided testimony considered by the judge to be “the most significant document of this trial.”
Wuille’s detailed exposition of the timeline and technical details of Bitcoin’s development was instrumental in debunking Wright’s claims.
His testimony, unchallenged by Wright’s defense, provided clear and credible information about the technical workings of Bitcoin, in stark contrast to Wright’s fabricated narratives.
Court sues Craig Wright for ‘serious abuse’ in Bitcoin case
The ruling highlighted that Dr Wright’s false claims and his subsequent legal maneuvering constituted a “serious abuse” of the court’s process, not only in the UK but also in other jurisdictions such as Norway.
The court deferred rulings on the specifics of the injunctive relief. With further hearings scheduled to discuss the implications of the ruling and possible corrections to public records regarding the Bitcoin white paper and other documents.
“DR WRIGHT HAS LIED TO THE COURT EXTENSIVELY AND REPEATEDLY. MOST OF HIS LIES CONCERNED THE DOCUMENT HE HAD FORGED THAT PURPORTED TO SUPPORT HIS CLAIM. ALL OF HIS LIES AND HIS FORGED DOCUMENTS WERE IN SUPPORT OF HIS BIGGEST LIE: HIS CLAIM TO BE SATOSHI NAKAMOTO.”
The crypto community has been following the case with keen interest, given its potential implications for the perception of Bitcoin’s origins and the integrity of its foundational documents.
BitMEX Research, in a statement, highlighted ongoing legal considerations around the accessibility of the Bitcoin whitepaper on platforms like Bitcoin.org, noting that future rulings may further clarify these aspects.
In a humorous side note, BitMEX Research noted:
“THE ‘KEY’ EVIDENCE FROM DANIELLE DEMORGAN, WRIGHT’S YOUNGER SISTER, WAS THAT CSW ‘HAD DRESSED UP AS A NINJA IN THE LOCAL PARK.’ THIS DID NOT GIVE ANY CREDENCE TO DR. WRIGHT’S CLAIM THO BE SATOSHI: “WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT??”
