Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who claims to be Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is facing fresh legal trouble in the UK over charges of contempt of court. Known by many in the crypto world as “Faketoshi” because of doubts about his claims, Wright has been involved in numerous legal battles trying to prove he is the mysterious founder of Bitcoin. Last month, he has filed a $1.1 billion lawsuit against Block, the payments company owned by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. However, this move has raised concerns that Wright is ignoring a court order that prohibits him from making claims based on his alleged identity as Nakamoto.
Wright’s journey in the spotlight started in 2015 when he first claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. However, his efforts to prove this identity with cryptographic evidence have been widely criticized, with experts finding his demonstrations unconvincing. Earlier this year, the UK High Court went so far as to declare that Wright had “lied extensively” and used “forged documents” to back his story, adding more doubt to his claims.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), an organization that includes major players in tech and cryptocurrency, has been actively challenging Wright’s lawsuits. COPA argues that Wright’s recent lawsuit against Block goes against an existing court order designed to prevent him from pursuing legal cases based on his claim to be Nakamoto without solid proof. They believe Wright’s actions threaten the principles of Bitcoin, which was built to be open and free from ownership by any one individual.
As Wright faces these new charges, the December court hearing will determine if he is in contempt of court. For the cryptocurrency community, his ongoing legal battles raise questions about the challenges of proving identity and protecting intellectual property in the digital age—especially when a claim to being Nakamoto could have far-reaching impacts on the entire cryptocurrency world.
