Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, UK judge rules: report

Quick Take

  • A U.K. judge ruled that early Bitcoin developer Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto. 
  • The judge said the evidence was “overwhelming,” according to CoinDesk. 

A U.K. judge ruled that Craig Wright is indeed not Satoshi Nakamoto or the author of the Bitcoin whitepaper, according to CoinDesk

The case, lodged by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), reached closing arguments this week, according to a post from the alliance. The group's goal was to prove that Wright, an early Bitcoin developer who claims to be the pseudonymous bitcoin creator, is not Satoshi Nakamoto. 

U.K. Judge James Mellor said the evidence was "overwhelming," CoinDesk reported. 

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Two key figures in Bitcoin's creation took the stand last month including Adam Back, pioneer of Bitcoin's proof-of-work consensus system, and early Bitcoin contributor Martti Malmi. Both disputed claims from Wright's testimony, according to previous reporting at The Block. Both argued that Wright was not Nakamoto. 

COPA first filed the lawsuit in April 2021 and aimed to stop Wright from asserting copyright claims over the Bitcoin whitepaper and database.


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About Author

Sarah is a reporter at The Block covering policy, regulation and legal happenings. Before, Sarah was a reporter with CQ Legal writing about securities regulation, which is where she first started reporting on crypto. Sarah has also written for The Bond Buyer and American Banker, among other finance-related publications. She graduated from the University of Missouri and earned a degree in print and digital journalism. Sarah is based in Washington D.C., and is an avid coffee lover. You can follow her on Twitter @ForTheWynn.

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