In a recent court ruling, UK Judge James Mellor dismissed Craig Wright’s claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious founder of Bitcoin. The verdict was delivered following the conclusion of closing arguments in a lawsuit filed by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) against Wright, who has asserted his identity as Nakamoto since 2016.
COPA, an organization dedicated to promoting cryptocurrency technologies and eliminating patents as obstacles to innovation, sought injunctive relief to prevent Wright from further asserting his identity as Nakamoto. The case involved extensive allegations of document forgery, with BitMEX Research reporting that Wright had fabricated evidence to support his claim.
The trial, which began on February 5, saw Wright proposing an out-of-court settlement on January 24, which COPA declined. COPA argued in its closing submission that Wright had engaged in significant deception, inventing a false biographical history and producing forged documents.
This lawsuit is not Wright’s first legal battle regarding his claims. In 2023, he filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin Core developers and several companies, alleging copyright violations related to the Bitcoin white paper. However, the court ruling, if in favor of COPA, would limit Wright’s ability to make further copyright claims on the white paper.
Moreover, recent investigations suggest that Nakamoto may be a collective entity rather than an individual. Evidence includes the use of both “we” and “I” in the Bitcoin white paper and variations in Nakamoto’s writing style across different platforms, indicating potential involvement of multiple individuals operating under a single pseudonym.