On 20 May 2024, Dr Craig Steven Wright was found by the High Court of England and Wales to have been dishonest in his claims to have been the person behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto (the creator of Bitcoin).
The Court found that Dr Wright “lied to the Court extensively and repeatedly” in his evidence and that he attempted to create a false narrative by forging documents “on a grand scale” and presenting them in evidence. Overall, “all his lies and forged documents were in support of his biggest lie: his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.” 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. The High Court formally declared as follows:
First, that Dr Wright is not the author of the Bitcoin White Paper.
Second, Dr Wright is not the owner of the copyright in the Bitcoin White Paper.
Third, Dr Wright is not the person who adopted or operated under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto in the period between 2008 and 2011.
Fourth, Dr Wright is not the person who created the Bitcoin system.
Fifth, Dr Wright is not the author of the initial versions of the Bitcoin Software.
The full judgment, and its appendix detailing various forged documents created by Dr Wright, is accessible at the following URL: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/copa-v-wright/.
Dr Wright has been ordered not to commence any legal proceedings based on his false claims (by claim or counterclaim) or procure any other person to do so. He has also been ordered not to threaten any such proceedings (explicitly or implicitly) or procure any other person to do so.