Craig Wright, who has long claimed to be Bitcoin’s mysterious creator Satoshi Nakamoto, has been ordered by the UK High Court to publicly renounce this claim after a recent legal defeat.
The court’s decision requires Wright to state on his public website, X, and all Slack channels that he is not Nakamoto.
Judge James Mellor, who oversaw the case, specified that Wright’s public declaration must remain displayed on his website and social media for six months, and for three months on Slack.
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The statement on Wright’s website outlines findings that he “lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly” and attempted to support his false claim of being Nakamoto by forging documents. It adds:
In advancing his false claim to be Satoshi through multiple legal actions, Dr Wright committed “a most serious abuse” of the process of the courts of the UK, Norway and the USA.
Wright is required to admit several critical points: he is not the author of the Bitcoin White Paper, does not own its copyright, did not create the Bitcoin Software or its system, and did not operate under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto between 2008 and 2011.
Additionally, Wright has been prohibited from threatening or initiating any further legal actions in the UK related to his false claims or encouraging others to do so.
The court has also referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to determine whether he should be prosecuted for perjury and document forgery.
Since 2021, Wright has been entangled in legal disputes with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) and Bitcoin Core developers over his claims. He attempted to settle the case out of court in January; however, the COPA declined the offer. The group said on X:
Just like Craig Wright forges documents and doesn’t quite tell the truth, his description of the settlement offer isn’t quite accurate either – it comes with loopholes that would allow him to sue people all over again.
On June 7, the COPA requested that Wright cover 85% of their legal expenses. The court has also ordered a freeze on £1.5 million of Wright’s assets to cover the legal fees of journalist Peter McCormack, whom he sued for defamation in 2019.
This decisive court action marks a significant moment in the ongoing battle for clarity and integrity within the crypto industry.
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