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High Court of England and Wales declares Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto or the author of the Bitcoin white paper; COPA seeks injunction and dissemination order

Published on: 15 March 2024

Published by a Law360 reporter
Legal News
Article summary

Following the close of submissions on 14 March 2024, High Court judge James Mellor said he would deliver a full judgment in due course, but made clear he was satisfied that Wright’s assertions that he is Satoshi were untrue. 'I'm prepared to say this: Dr Wright is not the inventor of bitcoin,' Judge Mellor stated. 'Dr Wright is not the author of the bitcoin white paper. He is not the person who adopted the name Satoshi Nakamoto.' He explained he was content to reach these provisional conclusions immediately, without any hesitation, because 'the evidence is clear'. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a coalition of cryptographers, brought the case seeking to prevent Wright from asserting that he created Bitcoin. At the outset of the trial, COPA told the court that Wright is lying and engaging in forgery when he claims to be Satoshi. Judge Mellor surprised the courtroom by issuing an instant bench ruling after a weeks-long hearing. He added that he was ready to make these findings based on all the evidence and materials he reviewed during the trial. He further underlined the certainty of his decision by noting that Wright was neither 'the author of the bitcoin system'...

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