First Week of Trial Reveals Forged Documents

The trial that puts Craig Wright’s claim of being Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin’s creator, under scrutiny started this Monday at a UK high court. Wright, an Australian computer scientist, has previously taken legal action against members of the crypto community, including Bitcoin developers, over copyright issues.

This time, the court let Wright present new evidence to support his case. The lawsuit, initiated by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) in 2021, challenges Wright’s assertion that he wrote the 2008 Bitcoin white paper. COPA, having turned down Wright’s offer to settle, aims for a verdict that could end his legal disputes with the Bitcoin community.

COPA accuses Wright of using forged documents to support his claim. “Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto is a brazen lie,” stated a COPA spokesperson, criticizing the supposed forgeries Wright presented.

Wright’s defense highlighted his background in academia and technology as evidence of his ability to have created Bitcoin. “COPA has been unable to point to any direct evidence that Dr. Wright is not Satoshi,” said Lord Anthony Grabiner, Wright’s defense counsel.

However, the trial saw Wright admitting that some documents he had submitted were indeed forged, blaming this on mistakes by others, including sabotage by former employees and hacking. This admission could weaken his position, especially given his claims of expertise in information security.

Yet, Wright had moments during the trial where he appeared to strengthen his case, notably when he detailed Bitcoin’s network theory and referred to Bitcoin Cash in a document supposedly from 2008, despite Bitcoin Cash only launching in 2017.

The court is aware of Wright’s ability to alter document metadata, something he has admitted to showing his students how to do.

The outcome of the trial, expected by mid-March, is eagerly awaited by the crypto community, as it could finally provide answers to the long-standing mystery of Bitcoin’s origin.