Judge rules Craig Wright is not Satoshi and did not write the Bitcoin whitepaper

COPA initiated legal action against Craig Wright in an attempt to prevent him from suing developers and others in the crypto community, claiming ownership of Bitcoin’s technology. Following a month-long trial, UK Judge James Mellor delivered a verdict stating that Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, nor did he author the Bitcoin whitepaper or create the Bitcoin system. COPA, backed by industry leaders like Jack Dorsey and Coinbase, sees this ruling as a victory, as it prevents Wright from making false claims about his identity and asserting intellectual property rights over Bitcoin’s open-source technology.

The judgment also affects other cases Wright had filed, including one against Coinbase and Dorsey’s Block, which alleged ownership of database rights to the bitcoin blockchain. Justice Mellor’s decision halts these cases pending the outcome of this trial. Wright’s counsel argued against COPA’s proposed injunctions, which would prevent him from ever claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, citing concerns about freedom of expression. However, COPA’s solicitor highlighted Wright’s history of litigious behavior against the crypto community.

Wright’s team refuted COPA’s forgery allegations and challenged the admissibility of evidence presented by COPA’s expert witness. COPA plans to request UK prosecutors to investigate if Wright committed perjury during the trial. Judge Mellor has yet to announce when he will issue his final written judgment.