Computer scientist Craig Wright not bitcoin inventor: UK court

A UK court ruled Thursday that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not “Satoshi Nakamoto”, the pseudonym used by the creator of the cryptocurrency bitcoin when it first launched in 2008.

The decision follows a nearly two-month trial in London’s High Court after Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a non-profit organisation set up to keep cryptocurrency technology free from patents, sued Wright.

The 53-year-old Wright has claimed since 2016 that he was Satoshi Nakamoto and insisted he was the author of a white paper that unveiled what would grow to be the world’s most popular cryptocurrency.

But in his ruling handed down Thursday, judge James Mellor comprehensively dismissed Wright’s claims, calling the evidence for his decisions “overwhelming”.

“Dr Wright is not the author of the bitcoin white paper,” Mellor stated.

“Dr Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto in the period 2008 to 2011.”

“Dr Wright is not the person who created the bitcoin system… he is not the author of the initial versions of the bitcoin software.”

Wright, an enigmatic programmer who has described himself as “creator of bitcoin” on social media platform X, has initiated a number of lawsuits over the issue but faced legal action brought by COPA on this occasion.

The organisation brings together heavyweights in the industry, including cryptocurrency platform Coinbase and Block, which specialises in digital payments.

It accused Wright, nicknamed “Faketoshi” by his detractors, of lying about his identity and of forging and manipulating documents presented to try and prove his claims.

Thursday’s ruling could impact another lawsuit pitting Wright against 26 developers — including Coinbase — for allegedly infringing upon his intellectual property rights.