Key Points
- Justice James Mellor declares that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.
- The ruling also addresses the issue of injunctive relief to prevent Wright from further claiming he is Nakamoto.
Justice James Mellor has made a landmark decision, stating that Craig Wright is not the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.
This ruling comes after the conclusion of the COPA v Wright trial, where Wright’s assertions were thoroughly discredited.
Details of the Judgment
In his written judgment, Justice Mellor detailed how Wright had lied “extensively and repeatedly” through forged documents.
In his statement, Mellor said, “Dr Wright presents himself as an extremely clever person. However, in my judgment, he is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is. In both his written evidence and in days of oral evidence under cross-examination, I am entirely satisfied that Dr Wright lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly.”
The 231-page ruling also tackled the issue of injunctive relief, a legal remedy aimed at preventing Wright from further claiming he is Nakamoto or engaging in related legal actions.
A Form of Order hearing, scheduled to follow the judgment, will further discuss this matter.
Despite the ruling, Wright’s reaction on social media is one of defiance, as he expresses his intention to explore options for appeal.
Community Response
The Bitcoin community met Mellor’s decisive ruling with relief and celebration.
Craig Wright, who emerged in December 2015 with claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto, has since caused significant disruption within the community.
His legal actions have targeted Bitcoin Core developers, public figures, and even a Norwegian bitcoiner, Hodlonaut.
The community has long been upset by Wright’s persistent claims and subsequent legal actions, which threaten the industry’s innovation and cohesion.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), whose mission is to protect crypto adoption and counter threats to the industry, accused Wright of forgery and later perjury.
Its success in court marks a significant victory for the open-source community.
In March, Mellor had already reached the conclusion that Wright was not Nakamoto and had not authored the Bitcoin white paper.
After both sides presented their evidence in a month-long trial, the judge stated, “Dr. Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto in the period 2008 to 2011. Dr. Wright is not the person who created the Bitcoin System. And, fourth, he is not the author of the initial versions of the Bitcoin software.”
Mellor also imposed a worldwide freezing order on Wright’s assets worth 6 million British pounds (approximately $7.6 million) to ensure he could not move them offshore or evade costs associated with the trial.
At the time of the order, COPA’s costs amounted to 6.7 million pounds.
