LONDON, Sunday, July 21, 2024 – Australian computer scientist Craig Wright added a disclaimer on July 16 that he was not Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin.
Craig has long asserted as he is the creator of Bitcoin, but has been legally compelled by a UK judge to retract his claims.
Wright has added a disclaimer on his website acknowledging he is not Satoshi Nakamoto following the ruling.
The ruling by Judge James Mellor mandates Wright to post this denial prominently on his website, as well as on his X (formerly Twitter) feed and all Slack channels he operates, for a period of three to six months.
Mellor emphasized that a notice solely on Wright’s website would be insufficient.
This legal development follows multiple legal battles surrounding Wright’s assertions.
In February, Wright’s claim was labeled a “brazen lie” by the UK High Court.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), supported by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, sought a negative declaration against Wright.
In March, Judge Mellor ruled decisively that Wright is neither Satoshi Nakamoto nor the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper, concluding a lengthy court process.
The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains unknown, despite Wright’s claims since 2016.
The court found the evidence presented by COPA, which included expert testimony and forensic analysis, to convincingly debunk Wright’s claims.
Wright was further accused of producing forgeries and metadata tampering.
Additionally, the UK High Court froze Wright’s assets to help podcaster Peter McCormack recover $2 million in legal fees from a defamation lawsuit Wright had filed in 2019.
Judge Mellor has also recommended that Wright be investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service for perjury and forgery.
Reports said that the implications of this ruling may extend beyond Wright’s personal claims, potentially influencing the broader legal landscape surrounding cryptocurrency intellectual property rights.
