Notcoin (not) 
A recent ruling by a U.K. High Court judge has determined that American computer scientist Craig Wright lied and committed forgery during his trial. In a detailed judgment, Justice James Mellor concluded that Wright engaged in perjury throughout the six-week COPA v Wright trial, where he claimed to be Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Mellor found that Wright used fraudulent documents to support his assertions.
Justice Mellor stated, “It is clear that Dr. Wright engaged in the deliberate production of false documents to support false claims and use the Courts as a vehicle for fraud. I am entirely satisfied that Dr. Wright lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly. All his lies and forged documents were in support of his biggest lie: his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.”
In March, Mellor concluded that Wright was not Nakamoto and had not authored Bitcoin’s foundational document, the “white paper.” He remarked, “Dr Wright presents himself as an extremely clever person. However, in my judgment, he is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is.”
The Legal Battle with COPA
Over the years, Craig Wright has claimed to be the mastermind behind Bitcoin, a claim met with skepticism and controversy. This led to a legal battle with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a significant entity in the crypto industry. COPA filed a lawsuit against Wright in 2021. The trial, which began on February 5, saw COPA accusing Wright of forgery and later, perjury.
While Wright has not publicly responded to Mellor’s statements, he posted on X, stating, “I fully intend to appeal the decision of the court on the matter of the identity issue.”
Ruling Implications
The ruling has substantial implications for the cryptocurrency industry. It reinforces Bitcoin’s decentralized and leaderless nature, ensuring that no single individual can claim its origins. This court decision resolves one of the most controversial claims regarding the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
The legal consequences of Wright’s perjury are yet to be fully realized, but $7.6 million of his assets were frozen in March to prevent him from moving funds offshore to avoid the case’s costs.
In January, sensing his potential losses, Wright attempted to settle the dispute with COPA out of court, but COPA declined.
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