Judge James Mellor, in a written judgment published on Monday, found that Wright committed perjury during the six-week trial of COPA v Wright, in which he claimed to be Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Mellor found that Wright used fraudulent documents to support his false claims.
Mellor’s opinion emphasized that Dr. Wright intentionally created fraudulent documents to support his false claims and manipulated the legal system for fraudulent purposes. Mellor expressed absolute certainty that Dr. Wright repeatedly misled the court, with all of his fabrications ultimately serving his overarching falsehood: his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto.
Back in March, Mellor determined that Wright was not Nakamoto and did not write Bitcoin’s foundational document, the “white paper.” Mellor observed that despite Dr. Wright’s self-portrayal as highly intelligent, he tends to overestimate his own intelligence.
The COPA lawsuit
In recent years, Wright has confidently claimed to be the architect of bitcoin. However, this claim has sparked skepticism and debate, culminating in a legal dispute with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency sector. In 2021, COPA filed a lawsuit against Craig Wright. The trial began on February 5, with COPA alleging forgery and subsequent perjury on Wright’s part.
Wright has refrained from directly addressing Mellor’s comments, opting instead to announce on the X platform his commitment to challenge the court’s ruling on the identity issue.
Implications of the ruling
The ruling has significant implications for the cryptocurrency sector. It solidifies bitcoin’s decentralized and leaderless nature, protecting it from claims of singular ownership. The court’s decision definitively settles one of the most controversial and widely reported claims involving the pseudonymous Satoshi Nakamoto.
The legal ramifications of Wright’s perjury have yet to unfold. In March, however, $7.6 million of his assets were frozen to deter any attempts to move them offshore and avoid the costs associated with the case.
Recognizing his setbacks, Wright attempted to settle the conflict with COPA out of court in January, but COPA rejected the offer.
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