A UK High Court judge has ruled that Australian scientist Craig Wright is not the founder of Bitcoin.
Wright said he created the cryptocurrency in 2008. However, a group of tech firms launched legal action accusing Wright of forging his identity.
In a surprise move, Justice James Mellor announced his decision in the case as soon as lawyers finished their closing statements, saying that “the evidence is overwhelming” that Wright didn’t create Bitcoin.
Here’s how the trial unfolded.
About Bitcoin
Bitcoin became the world’s first cryptocurrency and exchange platform when it launched in 2008.
The central idea behind Bitcoin was the ability to make payments without going through traditional banking channels. The digital currency runs via the ‘blockchain’, where all transactions are verified and connected in sequence.
In 2010, a man in the U.S. state of Florida made the first commercial purchase using Bitcoin when he bought two pizzas.
Craig Wright and Bitcoin
In 2008, a document outlining the concept of Bitcoin was published under the name Satoshi Nakamoto.
In 2015, several tech publications named Craig Wright – an Australian scientist – as the document’s actual author, having taken on the name Satoshi Nakamoto. However, these reports were later questioned.
Ever since he claimed to be Nakamoto, Wright has launched multiple legal actions against people who have developed Bitcoin technology without his approval or challenged his version of events.
The case
The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA) – a group of individuals and organisations linked to the crypto industry – brought a trial to the UK High Court to disprove Wright’s claims.
COPA alleged Wright has committed “forgery on an industrial scale”.
Wright stood by his claims, and his lawyers said COPA would need to provide a viable alternative for the real person behind Nakamoto.
Decision
The High Court’s Justice James Mellor said there was “overwhelming” evidence to show Wright was not the founder of Bitcoin.
He found Wright never operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, was not the author of the Bitcoin white Paper, and did not create the Bitcoin technology.
A COPA spokesperson described the group’s legal triumph as “a win for developers, for the entire open source community, and for the truth”.
While the trial confirmed Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, their true identity remains a mystery.
Wright has not yet responded publicly to the ruling.
At the time of publication, Bitcoin’s value has never been higher.
