After nearly a decade of controversy, a British court has finally put an end to Craig Wright’s claims that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. In a recent civil case led by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), Justice James Mellor of England’s High Court of Justice ruled that Wright had lied and engaged in forgery to prove his identity as Satoshi. Mellor strongly criticized Wright in his judgment, stating that the mainstream media had given him a platform to bully and harm individuals, companies, and Bitcoin’s reputation.
The court’s decision is a significant victory for the Bitcoin community, as it allows them to maintain the narrative of Bitcoin’s “immaculate conception” without any doubts caused by Wright’s claims. Many media outlets, including Gizmodo, Wired, BBC, The Economist, The Financial Times, and GQ, failed to thoroughly examine the facts and easily verifiable cryptographic data, allowing Wright to gain undeserved attention.
Wright’s deception even fooled Gavin Andresen, who was entrusted with the Bitcoin source code by Satoshi. The confusion caused by Wright led to the revocation of Andresen’s commit access, which had a significant impact on the Bitcoin industry at the time. In contrast, Satoshi himself was known for his patience, discipline, reason, and humility, never seeking the limelight despite opportunities to do so.
Wright, on the other hand, has always been boastful and eager for attention. He made implicit claims of being Satoshi in person, on panels, and through back-dated blog posts. Mellor described Wright’s attempt to prove his identity as Satoshi as a serious abuse of the court’s process.
While Wright has expressed his intention to appeal the court’s decision, it may also expose him to legal action from those who have suffered from his actions, including companies like Coinbase and content creators like Peter McCormack.
The court’s ruling highlights the importance of accountability and the potential harm caused by baseless claims in the legal system. The Bitcoin community can finally move on from Wright and focus on the future of the cryptocurrency.
Please note that the views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.