Judge rules computer scientist not Bitcoin inventor (2024)

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Judge rules computer scientist not Bitcoin inventor (1)Image source, Reuters

By Joe Tidy

Cyber correspondent

The judge overseeing a legal battle about who invented Bitcoin has ruled that it is not Australian computer scientist Craig Wright.

The question had been examined in a five week trial at the High Court.

The judge, Mr Justice Mellor, made his ruling as soon as the proceedings had concluded.

He had been expected to retire to consider the case but said he was able to reach a decision so quickly because the "evidence was overwhelming".

Bitcoin is the world's best known cryptocurrency - and has recently captured the headlines after surging to a new record high valuation.

But the identity of the person or people who invented it has always been unknown, other than they go by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Dr Wright, who is from Australia, has claimed to be Satoshi since 2016 - but his claims and evidence to back them up have long been questioned by cryptocurrency experts.

He has been in and out of court for years in legal battles with individuals who challenged his story.

Twitter founder

This case, heard at the Intellectual Property Court, a division of London's High Court, was brought by a group of Bitcoin companies.

Image source, Getty Images

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) - whose members include Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's payments firm, Block - accused Dr Wright of creating a chilling effect on the development of the cryptocurrency because of his aggressive legal cases.

During the hearing, COPA's legal team said Dr Wright had carried out a "a massive campaign of dishonesty and forgery".

It even accused him of forging fresh documents while the proceedings were ongoing.

COPA's lawyer, Jonathan Hough, said elements of Dr Wight's conduct "stray into farce" - but he told the court it also had "deadly serious" consequences.

"On the basis of his dishonest claim to be Satoshi, he has pursued claims he puts at hundreds of billions of dollars, including against numerous private individuals," he told the trial.

Throughout the trial Dr Wright's legal team argued that if he was not the inventor then the real Satoshi Nakamoto would have come forward to discredit him.

Mr Justice Mellor agreed that Dr Wright was not who he said he was.

"Dr Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto", he told the court.

"Dr Wright is not the person who created the Bitcoin system."

He said he would give a full written judgement in due course.

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Judge rules computer scientist not Bitcoin inventor (2024)

FAQs

Judge rules computer scientist not Bitcoin inventor? ›

Gareth Dickson, a Partner at Mishcon de Reya, has shared his insights regarding the recent High Court decision which determined that the Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not the creator of Bitcoin. The true identity of Bitcoin's inventor, known by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, remains a mystery.

Which Australian scientist says he invented Bitcoin a judge disagrees? ›

London | A British judge has aimed both barrels at Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, issuing a hard-hitting judgment that dismissed his claim to be bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto as based on “lies and forged documents”.

Is Wright not the inventor of Bitcoin? ›

In March 2024, and following a six-week trial, Mr Justice Mellor ruled that Dr Craig Wright is not Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and stated that the evidence presented during the trial was overwhelming.

Why is Craig Wright not Satoshi? ›

The ruling brings to a close a six-week trial, in which the Crypto Open Patent Alliance, a nonprofit consortium of crypto companies, asked the court to declare that Wright is not Satoshi on the basis that he had allegedly fabricated his evidence and contorted his story repeatedly as new inconsistencies came to light.

What was the verdict of Copa vs Wright? ›

The English court ruled in COPA's favor in March that Wright was not the creator of bitcoin and that he did not author the bitcoin whitepaper.

Who is the real inventor of Bitcoin? ›

Bitcoin was created by an anonymous person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Nakamoto published a whitepaper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," outlining the concept of a decentralized digital currency.

Who owns the most Bitcoin? ›

So sometimes, knowing how much BTC an individual has is unclear. What's for sure though, is Satoshi Nakamoto, the mystery genius behind Bitcoin, holds the keys to an enormous stash of over 1.1 million BTC. That's a mind-boggling amount, making Satoshi the biggest whale in the Bitcoin ocean.

Did Dr Wright invent Bitcoin? ›

A UK judge ruled that Craig Wright is not the inventor of bitcoin. London — An Australian computer scientist who claims he invented bitcoin is not “Satoshi Nakamoto,” the pseudonymous inventor of the cryptocurrency, a judge at London's High Court ruled on Thursday.

What is Satoshi Nakamoto's net worth? ›

Nakamoto owns between 750,000 and 1,100,000 Bitcoin. In November 2021, when Bitcoin reached a value of over $68,000, his net worth would have been up to $73 billion, making him the 15th-richest person in the world at the time.

What is the significance of pizza in Bitcoin? ›

Bitcoin Pizza Day celebrates the first real-world Bitcoin transaction in 2010 when Laszlo Hanyecz, a programmer, paid 10,000 Bitcoins for two Papa John's pizzas. This event marked the rise of crypto commerce, as highlighted by Mr. CEO & Co-founder of Mudrex, a Global Crypto Investment Platform.

Does Satoshi still have Bitcoin? ›

Satoshi Nakamoto is rumored to own 1.1 million bitcoin in several accounts, but no one is 100% sure these account belong to Bitcoin's creator.

Who invented blockchain? ›

Blockchain began with a man named Satoshi Nakamoto, who invented Bitcoin and brought blockchain technology to the world back in 2009. Bitcoin aimed to be a viable alternative to fiat currency. A secure, decentralised, global currency that could be used as a medium of exchange.

How much Satoshi Nakamoto has? ›

Most of Satoshi's wallets contain 50 BTC, as that was the Bitcoin block reward before the first Bitcoin halving. Estimates place the size of Satoshi Nakamoto's holdings at between 600,000 BTC and 1.1 million BTC (worth $43 billion to $80 billion at current market rates)

What was the decision of Allen v Wright? ›

Wright, 468 U.S. 737 (1984), was a United States Supreme Court case that determined that citizens do not have standing to sue a federal government agency based on the influence that the agency's determinations might have on third parties.

Who is copa crypto? ›

The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA) is a non-profit community of like-minded people and companies formed to encourage the adoption and advancement of cryptocurrency technologies and to remove patents as a barrier to growth and innovation.

Who is the Australian scientist Bitcoin? ›

The judge overseeing a legal battle about who invented Bitcoin has ruled that it is not Australian computer scientist Craig Wright. The question had been examined in a five week trial at the High Court. The judge, Mr Justice Mellor, made his ruling as soon as the proceedings had concluded.

Who is alleged Bitcoin founder? ›

Satoshi Nakamoto is the name used by the presumed pseudonymous person or persons who developed Bitcoin, authored the Bitcoin white paper, and created and deployed Bitcoin's original reference implementation.

Who said Bitcoin going to $0? ›

Asserting his stance further, Rogers predicted the eventual demise of Bitcoin, stating, "Bitcoin will disappear and go to zero someday." He contrasted this with the enduring value of commodities like sugar, saying, "The value of sugar is not going to disappear and go to zero someday."

Who is Australia Bitcoin guy? ›

Craig Steven Wright (born October 1970) is an Australian computer scientist and businessman. He has publicly claimed to be the main part of the team that created bitcoin, and the identity behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. These claims are generally regarded as false by the media and the cryptocurrency community.

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