Key Takeaways
- UK High Court dismisses Craig Wright's claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.
- Judge Mellor exposes Wright's extensive use of forged documents.
- COPA brought the case in 2021, with support from Block, Inc. and Coinbase.
UK Judge James Mellor has publicly shared the approved judgment in the case involving Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright and the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).
In a High Court ruling, Judge Mellor dismissed Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin.
The decision came after a five-week trial in March, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing legal battles surrounding Wright and his claims.
Approved Judgment Reveals Craig Wright’s Extensive Forgeries
Judge Mellor ruled that Wright produced false documents to support his claims.
Furthermore, Wright used the courts as a vehicle for fraud.
Judge Mellor described Wright’s evidence as:
At best questionable or of very dubious relevance or entirely circumstantial and at worst, it is fabricated
The judge also caimed the documents were forged on a grand scale:
It is also in 2014 that Dr Wright appears to have produced his first forged documents supporting his claim to be Satoshi. For instance, the Kleiman Email was apparently forwarded by Dr Wright to Ira Kleiman (David Kleiman’s brother) in March 2014
Despite acknowledging a few inauthentic documents during the trial, Wright refused to admit any forgeries.
Judge Mellor said:
Instead, he lied repeatedly and extensively in his attempts to deflect the allegations of forgery.
The judgment criticized Wright for his lack of understanding of basic Bitcoin technology.
His arrogance was also inconsistent with Satoshi Nakamoto’s persona.
Judge Mellor also wrote:
In my judgment, the arrogance he displayed was at odds with what comes through from Satoshi’s writing. In short, in his writing and attitude, Dr Wright just doesn’t sound or act like Satoshi.
The COPA brought the case to court in 2021, accusing Wright of forgery and perjury. Prominent names in the Bitcoin industry, including Block, Inc. and Coinbase Global, Inc., support COPA. Earlier in March, Judge Mellor placed a $7.6 million asset freeze on Craig Wright based on overwhelming evidence presented during the trial. This ruling came as part of a wider copyright and database rights action initiated by Wright and his companies against certain developers.
