In a significant development, UK Judge James Mellor has stated that Craig Wright, an Australian entrepreneur, is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. The verdict came after the conclusion of the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) trial, during which “overwhelming evidence” was presented to debunk Wright’s claims.
Judge Mellor intends to draft a ruling that solidifies Wright’s lack of association with Bitcoin’s inception, its whitepaper’s authorship, and its technology’s development.
Cracks In Satoshi Nakamoto Story
The COPA trial, which delved into technical and circumstantial evidence, highlighted numerous reasons why Wright could not be considered Satoshi Nakamoto. The evidence presented by COPA not only discredited Wright’s assertions but also shed light on his alleged fraudulent activities and extensive forgeries.
One of the key points raised by COPA revolves around the creation of the Bitcoin White Paper. It was revealed that the document was generated using OpenOffice, contrary to Wright’s insistence that it was produced in LaTeX.
Additionally, COPA presented evidence regarding an exchange between Satoshi Nakamoto and Adam Back, co-founder and CEO of Blockstream. Wright claimed that Back dismissed the Bitcoin concept and predicted its failure in response to Nakamoto’s correspondence in August 2008. However, Adam Back’s email correspondence contradicted Wright’s account, further undermining his credibility.
The trial also focused on the influence of Wei Dai’s work on Satoshi Nakamoto. It was revealed that Nakamoto discovered Wei Dai’s b-money proposal in August 2008, as evidenced by correspondence with Adam Back.
In contrast, Wright falsely claimed a “long-standing captivation” with Wei Dai’s work since the late 1990s and allegedly fabricated collaborations with Professor Wrightson, who supposedly introduced him to Wei Dai’s research.
Another critical evidence discussed during the trial was the Satoshi PGP key. According to the judge, the “true Satoshi Nakamoto” would have known that the PGP key was created, published, and used before 2011 and that its primary purpose was as a signing key not tied to a specific email account. Wright’s inconsistent accounts of the PGP key further cast doubt on his claim to be its creator.
The trial also revealed Wright’s lack of knowledge of the Bitcoin code and its intricacies. Judge Mellor stated that a true Satoshi Nakamoto would have been intimately familiar with the code they wrote, including functions such as CheckBlock and CheckBlockHeader, which Wright allegedly demonstrated a lack of understanding of during the trial.
Moreover, COPA debunked Wright’s claims about hosting the Bitcoin White Paper website. Wright had asserted that it was hosted on a secondary server he operated in Melbourne. At the same time, evidence pointed to the source as a free file hosting service based in Dubai, known as Upload.ae.
Further evidence presented during the trial disproved Wright’s accounts of the Bitcoin System’s susceptibility to Microsoft patches issued on Patch Tuesday in January 2009 and the scale and cost associated with early mining operations.
‘Glaring Mistake’ About The Genesis Block
COPA also highlighted discrepancies in Wright’s claims about Bitcoin transactions, including the false assertion that Satoshi sent Bitcoin to Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn.
In addition, the judge asserted that the real Satoshi Nakamoto would have been able to identify the individuals to whom he transferred Bitcoin, including those who were not publicly known. Wright’s inability to provide accurate information about these transactions significantly doubts his credibility.
Another critical point of contention was the Genesis Block, where Wright made a “glaring mistake” by claiming no public key was associated with the Coinbase transaction. This error further undermined his credibility and demonstrated a lack of knowledge regarding fundamental aspects of the Bitcoin network.
Finally, COPA presented evidence debunking Wright’s claims that he authored a July 2010 cryptocurrency post falsely attributing to Martti Malmi, the second Bitcoin developer after Satoshi Nakamoto. Judge Mellor explained that the real Satoshi Nakamoto would have acknowledged authorship when presented with clear evidence to the contrary, unlike Wright, who persisted in his “falsehoods.
Given the comprehensive evidence presented during the COPA trial, it has become undeniable that Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto. Judge Mellor’s forthcoming ruling will solidify this conclusion, marking a significant milestone in the search for the true identity of Bitcoin’s creator.
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