Computer scientist Craig Wright not bitcoin inventor: UK court

guardian.ng:

(FILES) Australian computer scientist Craig Wright arrives at the High Court in London on February 5, 2024. – A UK court ruled on March 14, 2024 that Wright is not “Satoshi Nakamoto”, the pseudonym used by the creator of the cryptocurrency bitcoin when it was first unveiled in 2008. “Dr Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto… Dr Wright is not the person who created the Bitcoin system,” High Court judge James Mellor said, calling the evidence “overwhelming”. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP)

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