Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous founder of Bitcoin, is in fresh legal trouble. He now faces contempt of court charges in the UK.
The charges follow a £911 million ($1.1 billion) lawsuit he filed against Square Up Europe Limited, a firm owned by Jack Dorsey’s payment company Block (Formerly known as Square).
Craig Wright’s contempt case and legal battles
Wright was in a long-standing litigation with Bitcoin core developers regarding claims that he is Satoshi Nakamoto. However, the High Court of England and Wales found his claims to be false.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which Block belongs to, took legal action to prevent Wright from suing Bitcoin developers in the future. The court placed an injunction on Wright to stop him from filing future lawsuits where he claims to be Satoshi.
In this latest case, COPA argues that Wright’s lawsuit against Block contravenes this injunction.
Wright attended the court hearing earlier today in response to COPA’s contempt application. He appeared without legal representation. The contempt hearing was scheduled for December 18.
There was also a debate about his physical presence. Wright argued that he is autistic and would like to attend the hearing virtually from Singapore due to his condition. The judge requested further evidence of this condition to be submitted to substantiate his request to attend virtually.
Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity
Satoshi’s identity has been contested since Bitcoin was launched in 2009. Wright has been one of the most vocal voices claiming to be Bitcoin’s founder. However, a judge of the High Court of England holds that Wright lied extensively and falsified documents to support these claims.
“Dr Wright presents himself as an extremely clever person. However, in my judgment, he is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is. In both his written evidence and in days of oral evidence under cross-examination, I am entirely satisfied that Dr Wright lied to the court extensively and repeatedly,” the judge said.
The judge also maintains that Satoshi won’t have many issues proving his identity. However, while the judge’s words hint at the potential legal hurdles future claimants could face to substantiate their claims, it also implied legal repercussions already piling up against the Satoshi Nakamoto character.
Following the legal proceeding, Wright’s website now features a legal notice emphatically stating that Dr. Craig Steven Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto.
In October 2024, HBO released a documentary that purportedly unmasked Satoshi as Peter Todd, a Canadian scientist. Todd denied these claims and has expressed concerns about harassment and harm from people who believe he is Satoshi.
In the event that Satoshi’s identity is revealed, it could have profound legal implications. In August 2023, the United States charged the founders of Tornado Cash, a crypto mixing service, with money laundering. As the foundation of a financial system that operates outside traditional regulations, Bitcoin could also be implicated in helping to create and facilitate these illicit transactions.
Wright’s legal troubles also show there might be substantial legal implications for individuals claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. If they make false claims like Wright, the court’s ruling already shows there may be consequences for misleading people about Bitcoin’s origins.
This case also raises questions about how legal systems might address future claimants to Bitcoin’s legacy. The injunction against Wright demonstrates that legal institutions can prevent dubious claims from attempting to monopolize or leverage Bitcoin’s origin for personal gain.