Craig Wright Dismissed as Satoshi Nakamoto by UK Court

In a landmark verdict, the U.K. court has delivered its judgment in the highly publicized case brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) against Craig Wright, definitively concluding that he is not the mysterious figure behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The ruling was delivered by Judge James Mellor on March 14, 2024.

The verdict, disseminated by various media outlets, stressed the overwhelming evidence against Wright's assertions. Judge Mellor affirmed his intention to draft a ruling that refutes Wright's identity as Nakamoto, dismissing any association with Bitcoin's inception, the creation of its whitepaper, or its underlying technology.

"I will make certain declarations which I am satisfied are useful and are necessary to do justice between the parties," stated Judge Mellor. "First, that Dr. Wright is not the author of the Bitcoin White Paper. Second, Dr. Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto in the period 2008 to 2011. Third, Dr. Wright is not the person who created the Bitcoin System. And, fourth, he is not the author of the initial versions of the Bitcoin software."

The announcement of the court's decision was initially shared by Jack Dorsey, co-founder of The Block on the digital platform X.

‍

Wright's Previous Legal Battles

Wright's legal entanglements extend beyond this recent case, with previous lawsuits targeting Bitcoin Core developers and leading industry entities for alleged copyright violations. Wright further registered the Bitcoin white paper and it's code for United States copyright in 2019.

Despite Wright's claims, the Bitcoin white paper remains subject to the MIT open-source license, enabling widespread accessibility and modification. 

‍

COPA's Legal Endeavor

COPA's pursuit of legal action against Wright aimed to safeguard against potential litigation threats targeting developers and to safeguard the integrity of Bitcoin's legacy. 

Founded in 2020, COPA boasts a coalition of prominent industry players, including Coinbase, Block, Meta, MicroStrategy, Kraken, Paradigm, Uniswap, and Worldcoin, united in their mission to foster innovation and eliminate patent barriers in the cryptocurrency space.