Joel Khalili’s Post

Craig Wright Claims He’s Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Can He Prove It in Court? A judge will determine whether computer scientist Craig Wright is the inventor of Bitcoin. The network's future may hang in the balance. By Joel Khalili “Satoshi Nakamoto is the founding father of cryptocurrency—and a mystery. In October 2008, Nakamoto gave Bitcoin to the world. Then they disappeared. To this day, nobody knows who Nakamoto is. Amongst the speculation, one man stepped forward: Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has, since 2016, maintained that he is Nakamoto. Now he’ll have to prove it in court. On February 5, a trial will begin in the UK High Court, the purpose of which is to challenge Wright’s claim to Satoshi-hood. The case is being brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit consortium of crypto and tech firms, in response to a slew of lawsuits filed by Wright against Bitcoin developers and other parties, in which he is trying to assert intellectual property rights over Bitcoin as its ostensible creator. In its complaint, COPA claims that Wright’s behavior has had a “chilling effect,” obstructing the progress of Bitcoin by scaring away developers. It is seeking a declaration that Wright does not own the copyright to the white paper that first proposed Bitcoin and did not author the original code, and an injunction preventing him from saying otherwise. In effect, COPA is asking the court to rule that Wright is not Nakamoto. The verdict will have direct implications for a tangle of interlocking cases, which will determine whether Wright can prevent developers from working on Bitcoin without his permission and dictate the terms under which the Bitcoin system can be used. “The stakes are very high,” says a representative of the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit that helps Bitcoin developers defend against legal action, who asked to remain nameless for fear of legal retaliation from Wright. “In the eyes of the law,” they claim, Wright “is asking for ultimate control over the Bitcoin network.” Wright declined to be interviewed for this story. In their 2008 white paper, released in the shadow of a global financial meltdown, Nakamoto sketched a vision for a new electronic money and peer-to-peer payment system that would obviate the need for troublesome intermediaries like banks. In January 2009, they sent the first Bitcoin transaction. A little more than two years later, they disappeared without a trace. The hunt for Nakamoto began. The absence of a “leader,” says software developer and early Bitcoin adopter Jameson Lopp, has been an asset to Bitcoin in the period since, making it “robust” by demanding it evolve under a system of unspoiled anarchy. Free from the overbearing influence of a founder, anyone that volunteered their time to work on Bitcoin could have a say in its direction. Yet Wright’s claim to be Nakamoto”…continue👇🏻 https://lnkd.in/gD52G93V

Will the real Satoshi Nakamoto please stand up? Wired Mag brings us this tale of legal / tech intrigue, including allegations of forgery and apparently more than 30 hours of cross-examination (yikes!) from the High Court in London (and I ain't talking Ontario). As many of you may be aware, Satoshi Nakamoto is the name that was used by the person or persons who is credited with having developed Bitcoin, with authoring the bitcoin white paper published in 2008, and other activities related to establishing bitcoin. There have been a number of candidates (or suspects) for Nakamoto over the years. However, Nakamoto's identify has never been determined with certainty. Except now it may be. That is, if a UK court rules in favour of Craig Wright, a computer scientist defending his claims to be the real Satoshi Nakamoto in court in response to a lawsuit brought against him by a consortium of crypto and tech firms. Wright, apparently a friend of the legal profession, has been filing quite the number of lawsuits claiming IP rights owned by Nakamoto. Of course there are many entities that can't let that succeed. If Wright is the real Nakamoto and has IP rights in Bitcoin, the future of Bitcoin may be significantly different. I would have loved to have been in the court room for Wright's cross-examination, but I wasn't. So the Wired account will have to do. Read and enjoy! https://lnkd.in/gEJp7uir

Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor's Claim 'a Brazen Lie,' London Court Told: In a London court, lawyers for a group supported by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) argued that Craig Wright's assertion of being the inventor of bitcoin is "a brazen lie," challenged by accusations of extensive document forgery to substantiate his claim. Wright's defense disputes these allegations, maintaining that he has presented definitive proof of his role in creating bitcoin. Reuters reports: Craig Wright says he is the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, published in the name "Satoshi Nakamoto". He argues this means he owns the copyright in the white paper and has intellectual property rights over the bitcoin blockchain. But the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) -- whose members include Twitter founder Dorsey's payments firm Block -- is asking London's High Court to rule that Wright is not Satoshi. The five-week hearing, at which Wright will give evidence from Tuesday, is the culmination of years of speculation about the true identity of Satoshi. Wright first publicly claimed to be Satoshi in 2016 and has since taken legal action against cryptocurrency developers and exchanges. COPA, however, says Wright has never provided any genuine proof, accusing him of repeatedly forging documents to support his claim, which Wright denies. Wright sat in court as COPA's lawyer Jonathan Hough said his claim was "a brazen lie, an elaborate false narrative supported by forgery on an industrial scale." Hough said that "there are elements of Dr Wright's conduct that stray into farce," citing his alleged use of ChatGPT to produce forgeries. But he added: "Dr Wright's conduct is also deadly serious. 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." Wright's lawyer Anthony Grabiner, however, argued in court filings that he has produced "clear evidence demonstrating his authorship of the white paper and creation of bitcoin." Grabiner added that it was "striking" that no one else had publicly claimed to be Satoshi. "If Dr Wright were not Satoshi, the real Satoshi would have been expected to come forward to counter the claim," he said. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor's Claim 'a Brazen Lie,' London Court Told: In a London court, lawyers for a group supported by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) argued that Craig Wright's assertion of being the inventor of bitcoin is "a brazen lie," challenged by accusations of extensive document forgery to substantiate his claim. Wright's defense disputes these allegations, maintaining that he has presented definitive proof of his role in creating bitcoin. Reuters reports: Craig Wright says he is the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, published in the name "Satoshi Nakamoto". He argues this means he owns the copyright in the white paper and has intellectual property rights over the bitcoin blockchain. But the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) -- whose members include Twitter founder Dorsey's payments firm Block -- is asking London's High Court to rule that Wright is not Satoshi. The five-week hearing, at which Wright will give evidence from Tuesday, is the culmination of years of speculation about the true identity of Satoshi. Wright first publicly claimed to be Satoshi in 2016 and has since taken legal action against cryptocurrency developers and exchanges. COPA, however, says Wright has never provided any genuine proof, accusing him of repeatedly forging documents to support his claim, which Wright denies. Wright sat in court as COPA's lawyer Jonathan Hough said his claim was "a brazen lie, an elaborate false narrative supported by forgery on an industrial scale." Hough said that "there are elements of Dr Wright's conduct that stray into farce," citing his alleged use of ChatGPT to produce forgeries. But he added: "Dr Wright's conduct is also deadly serious. 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." Wright's lawyer Anthony Grabiner, however, argued in court filings that he has produced "clear evidence demonstrating his authorship of the white paper and creation of bitcoin." Grabiner added that it was "striking" that no one else had publicly claimed to be Satoshi. "If Dr Wright were not Satoshi, the real Satoshi would have been expected to come forward to counter the claim," he said. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Self-Proclaimed Bitcoin Inventor's Claim 'a Brazen Lie,' London Court Told: In a London court, lawyers for a group supported by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) argued that Craig Wright's assertion of being the inventor of bitcoin is "a brazen lie," challenged by accusations of extensive document forgery to substantiate his claim. Wright's defense disputes these allegations, maintaining that he has presented definitive proof of his role in creating bitcoin. Reuters reports: Craig Wright says he is the author of a 2008 white paper, the foundational text of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, published in the name "Satoshi Nakamoto". He argues this means he owns the copyright in the white paper and has intellectual property rights over the bitcoin blockchain. But the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) -- whose members include Twitter founder Dorsey's payments firm Block -- is asking London's High Court to rule that Wright is not Satoshi. The five-week hearing, at which Wright will give evidence from Tuesday, is the culmination of years of speculation about the true identity of Satoshi. Wright first publicly claimed to be Satoshi in 2016 and has since taken legal action against cryptocurrency developers and exchanges. COPA, however, says Wright has never provided any genuine proof, accusing him of repeatedly forging documents to support his claim, which Wright denies. Wright sat in court as COPA's lawyer Jonathan Hough said his claim was "a brazen lie, an elaborate false narrative supported by forgery on an industrial scale." Hough said that "there are elements of Dr Wright's conduct that stray into farce," citing his alleged use of ChatGPT to produce forgeries. But he added: "Dr Wright's conduct is also deadly serious. 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." Wright's lawyer Anthony Grabiner, however, argued in court filings that he has produced "clear evidence demonstrating his authorship of the white paper and creation of bitcoin." Grabiner added that it was "striking" that no one else had publicly claimed to be Satoshi. "If Dr Wright were not Satoshi, the real Satoshi would have been expected to come forward to counter the claim," he said. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Craig Wright Claims He's Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Can He Prove It in Court?: Satoshi Nakamoto is the founding father of cryptocurrency -- and a mystery. In October 2008, Nakamoto gave Bitcoin to the world. Then they disappeared. To this day, nobody knows who Nakamoto is. Amongst the speculation, one man stepped forward: Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has, since 2016, maintained that he is Nakamoto. Now he'll have to prove it in court. Wired: On February 5, a trial will begin in the UK High Court, the purpose of which is to challenge Wright's claim to Satoshi-hood. The case is being brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit consortium of crypto and tech firms, in response to a slew of lawsuits filed by Wright against Bitcoin developers and other parties, in which he is trying to assert intellectual property rights over Bitcoin as its ostensible creator. In its complaint, COPA claims that Wright's behavior has had a "chilling effect," obstructing the progress of Bitcoin by scaring away developers. It is seeking a declaration that Wright does not own the copyright to the white paper that first proposed Bitcoin and did not author the original code, and an injunction preventing him from saying otherwise. In effect, COPA is asking the court to rule that Wright is not Nakamoto. The verdict will have direct implications for a tangle of interlocking cases, which will determine whether Wright can prevent developers from working on Bitcoin without his permission and dictate the terms under which the Bitcoin system can be used. Wright was first nominated as a potential candidate by both WIRED and Gizmodo on the same day in December 2015. The original story, based on a trove of leaked documents, proposed that Wright had "either invented Bitcoin or is a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did." A few days later, WIRED published a second story, pointing to discrepancies in the evidence that supported the latter interpretation. Wright did not respond initially to reports that he was Nakamoto, although he did largely scrub his online accounts. By the following year, though, he had begun to present himself publicly as Bitcoin's creator. He has tried on multiple occasions -- through various means -- to categorically prove the claim, earning himself a band of supporters who swear by his credibility. In 2016, Wright was able to convince Gavin Andresen, an early contributor to Bitcoin's underlying software, and Jon Matonis, former director of the Bitcoin Foundation, an advocacy group. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Craig Wright Claims He's Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Can He Prove It in Court?: Satoshi Nakamoto is the founding father of cryptocurrency -- and a mystery. In October 2008, Nakamoto gave Bitcoin to the world. Then they disappeared. To this day, nobody knows who Nakamoto is. Amongst the speculation, one man stepped forward: Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has, since 2016, maintained that he is Nakamoto. Now he'll have to prove it in court. Wired: On February 5, a trial will begin in the UK High Court, the purpose of which is to challenge Wright's claim to Satoshi-hood. The case is being brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit consortium of crypto and tech firms, in response to a slew of lawsuits filed by Wright against Bitcoin developers and other parties, in which he is trying to assert intellectual property rights over Bitcoin as its ostensible creator. In its complaint, COPA claims that Wright's behavior has had a "chilling effect," obstructing the progress of Bitcoin by scaring away developers. It is seeking a declaration that Wright does not own the copyright to the white paper that first proposed Bitcoin and did not author the original code, and an injunction preventing him from saying otherwise. In effect, COPA is asking the court to rule that Wright is not Nakamoto. The verdict will have direct implications for a tangle of interlocking cases, which will determine whether Wright can prevent developers from working on Bitcoin without his permission and dictate the terms under which the Bitcoin system can be used. Wright was first nominated as a potential candidate by both WIRED and Gizmodo on the same day in December 2015. The original story, based on a trove of leaked documents, proposed that Wright had "either invented Bitcoin or is a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did." A few days later, WIRED published a second story, pointing to discrepancies in the evidence that supported the latter interpretation. Wright did not respond initially to reports that he was Nakamoto, although he did largely scrub his online accounts. By the following year, though, he had begun to present himself publicly as Bitcoin's creator. He has tried on multiple occasions -- through various means -- to categorically prove the claim, earning himself a band of supporters who swear by his credibility. In 2016, Wright was able to convince Gavin Andresen, an early contributor to Bitcoin's underlying software, and Jon Matonis, former director of the Bitcoin Foundation, an advocacy group. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Craig Wright Claims He's Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Can He Prove It in Court?: Satoshi Nakamoto is the founding father of cryptocurrency -- and a mystery. In October 2008, Nakamoto gave Bitcoin to the world. Then they disappeared. To this day, nobody knows who Nakamoto is. Amongst the speculation, one man stepped forward: Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has, since 2016, maintained that he is Nakamoto. Now he'll have to prove it in court. Wired: On February 5, a trial will begin in the UK High Court, the purpose of which is to challenge Wright's claim to Satoshi-hood. The case is being brought by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a nonprofit consortium of crypto and tech firms, in response to a slew of lawsuits filed by Wright against Bitcoin developers and other parties, in which he is trying to assert intellectual property rights over Bitcoin as its ostensible creator. In its complaint, COPA claims that Wright's behavior has had a "chilling effect," obstructing the progress of Bitcoin by scaring away developers. It is seeking a declaration that Wright does not own the copyright to the white paper that first proposed Bitcoin and did not author the original code, and an injunction preventing him from saying otherwise. In effect, COPA is asking the court to rule that Wright is not Nakamoto. The verdict will have direct implications for a tangle of interlocking cases, which will determine whether Wright can prevent developers from working on Bitcoin without his permission and dictate the terms under which the Bitcoin system can be used. Wright was first nominated as a potential candidate by both WIRED and Gizmodo on the same day in December 2015. The original story, based on a trove of leaked documents, proposed that Wright had "either invented Bitcoin or is a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did." A few days later, WIRED published a second story, pointing to discrepancies in the evidence that supported the latter interpretation. Wright did not respond initially to reports that he was Nakamoto, although he did largely scrub his online accounts. By the following year, though, he had begun to present himself publicly as Bitcoin's creator. He has tried on multiple occasions -- through various means -- to categorically prove the claim, earning himself a band of supporters who swear by his credibility. In 2016, Wright was able to convince Gavin Andresen, an early contributor to Bitcoin's underlying software, and Jon Matonis, former director of the Bitcoin Foundation, an advocacy group. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The legend of Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous Bitcoin founder, is a mystery built for the digital age. The murky history of Bitcoin began in 2008 in the shadow of a global financial meltdown when someone under the name of Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper outlining the vision for a new electronic money and peer-to-peer payment system that would obviate the need for troublesome intermediaries like banks. The enigmatic creator sent the first Bitcoin transaction in 2009, and little more than two years later, they disappeared from the internet. And the hunt for Nakamoto began. Nakamoto's name has been linked to many people, including Australian computer scientist Craig Wright, who orchestrated an elaborate but unconvincing demonstration that he was the mysterious creator in 2016. Since then, Wright has spent years dragging naysayers through the courts in a largely unsuccessful attempt to legally be recognized as Bitcoin's creator. Wright has sued Bitcoin developers, social media users, podcasters, and anyone else who doubted the credibility of his claims. Three years ago, a nonprofit coalition of crypto and tech companies called the Crypto Open Patent Alliance brought a lawsuit against Wright, asking the court to officially declare that he is not Nakamoto. Wright has leveraged his "substantial financial backing" against crypto developers based on a lie, "many of whom cannot even afford to present the most basic defense," Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said on behalf of COPA. "This is the exact opposite of the vision that animated Satoshi's white paper in 2008," he said. "It's a drain on the talent and spirit of the crypto economy as a whole, and it needs to stop — now." The case finally went to trial in the U.K. on Feb. 5. Unlike other recent crypto-related lawsuits, "the COPA v. Wright case has attracted little attention. The case has drawn a small crowd of photographers, journalists, and crypto enthusiasts. But the case has the potential to be highly consequential. The ongoing courtroom tension has "left onlookers astonished," Forbes' Susie Violet Ward said. "Each revelation seems to cast ripples of uncertainty and produce more questions than answers, further muddying the waters." So far, the trial has been a "showcase of detailed technical evidence," Ward said, "punctuated by moments of drama." At one point, Wright exclaimed, "But I AM Satoshi!" when he was cross-examined by Jonathan Hough, who represented COPA. Wright has admitted that some of the documents he presented to prove he was Nakamoto were indeed forgeries, a revelation that once again sent a wave of disbelief through the courtroom. The admission came after COPA presented evidence highlighting "time discrepancies in the documents, such as fonts that were not available when the documents were supposedly created." 

Bitcoin was the world's first cryptocurrency and in many ways the most successful. It was founded by one Satoshi Nakamoto. Nobody knows who that person is, whether it is the name of a real person or a pseudonym and if a pseudonym whether it is the name of an individual or a team. One person who claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto was an Australian computer scientist called Dr Craig Steven Wright. He claimed to be uniquely qualified because he held higher degrees in many different subjects from universities in the UK and Australia. He had also worked in computing for many years. Dr Wright challenged anyone who disputed his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto with litigation and was involved in several lawsuits around the world. A group known as the Crypto Open Patent Alliance ("COPA") brought an action against Dr Wright for declarations that he was not Satoshi Nakamoto and that he had not written the Bitcoin White Paper or any of its software. Dr Wright sued several other businesses for passing off, and copyright and database right infringement. The actions were docketed before Mellor J who decided to try the question of whether Dr Wright was Nakamoto as a preliminary issue, A 23-day trial resulting in a massive 945 para judgment and a 799 para appendix took place in Feb and Mar of this year. In his judgment in Crypto Open Patent Alliance v Wright [2024] EWHC 1198 (Ch) which he delivered on 20 May 2024 the learned judge held that Dr Wright was not Nakamoto and that he had written neither the White Paper nor the source code. The case was decided on the facts but the judge made some rulings on pleadings, procedure, evidence and remedies. I have read the case and appendix very carefully and extracted the most relevant matter for my readers.