The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) appears poised to secure victory in its groundbreaking legal battle against Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, who asserts himself as the creator of Bitcoin.
The final stage of the trial in the UK commenced yesterday, with both parties presenting their concluding arguments. COPA’s legal representative, Jonathan Hough, emphasized that the evidence presented unequivocally demonstrates that Dr. Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto. He did not author the Bitcoin white paper, develop the Bitcoin code, or implement the Bitcoin system.
Established in 2020, COPA is a coalition aimed at advancing blockchain innovation by advocating for open access to patents. Its membership comprises prominent entities such as Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Jack Dorsey’s payment firm Block, MicroStrategy, a major holder of Bitcoin, as well as leading centralized exchanges like Coinbase, Kraken, and Gemini.
Craig Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, holds numerous blockchain-related patents and has initiated legal actions against Bitcoin developers and companies, alleging infringement of his copyright on Bitcoin’s white paper.
Jack Dorsey has been actively involved in the case from the outset, financing the legal expenses of developers and associated firms through the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund.
Recent developments indicate that Wright’s credibility is waning. In January, he offered COPA an out-of-court settlement, which was firmly rejected by the alliance. Under cross-examination earlier this year, it was revealed that several documents presented by Wright’s defense were deliberate forgeries. Wright attempted to dismiss these claims by insinuating a conspiracy against him by online communities.
In a further blow to his credibility, Wright admitted to destroying hard drives containing his purported private keys for Bitcoin while under the influence of sedatives. Testimony from witness David Bridges suggested a potential connection between Wright and Satoshi Nakamoto, citing Wright’s affinity for Japanese culture and his proposal for an alternative to the SWIFT payments system during their collaboration. However, Bridges indicated that he did not recognize Bitcoin’s white paper when it was sent to him, dismissing it as an annoyance.
In a last-ditch effort to assert his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto, Wright released 160,000 pages of purported evidence last month.