An Australian Computer Scientist’s Claim to Be the Inventor of Bitcoin is Disputed in London Court
A legal battle over the ownership of bitcoin has begun in a London court, with lawyers representing a group backed by Jack Dorsey arguing that an Australian computer scientist’s claim to be the inventor of bitcoin is “a brazen lie”. Craig Wright asserts that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the author of the 2008 white paper that introduced bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. He claims this entitles him to own the copyright in the white paper and have intellectual property rights over the bitcoin blockchain. However, the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) is seeking a ruling from the court stating that Wright is not Satoshi.
The Five-Week Hearing and COPA’s Accusations
The hearing, which will last for five weeks, will include Wright providing evidence starting on Tuesday. COPA alleges that Wright has never provided genuine proof of his claim and accuses him of forging documents to support it. COPA’s lawyer referred to Wright’s claim as “a brazen lie” and accused him of using ChatGPT to create forgeries. Despite this, Wright’s lawyer argues that he has clear evidence demonstrating his authorship of the white paper and creation of bitcoin.
The Seriousness of Wright’s Conduct and Lack of Public Counterclaims
While COPA’s lawyer highlighted elements of Wright’s conduct that he described as farcical, he emphasized that it is also deadly serious due to the significant financial claims made by Wright based on his alleged identity as Satoshi. On the other hand, Wright’s lawyer finds it noteworthy that no one else has publicly claimed to be Satoshi and suggests that if Wright were not Satoshi, someone else would have come forward to counter his claim.
Hot Take: The Battle for Bitcoin’s Inventorship
In a London court, a legal battle over the ownership of bitcoin has commenced. Craig Wright claims to be the creator of bitcoin, but the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) is disputing this assertion. COPA argues that Wright has never provided credible evidence to support his claim and accuses him of forging documents. The five-week hearing will determine whether Wright is indeed Satoshi Nakamoto. While Wright’s lawyer maintains that he has clear evidence of his authorship, COPA’s lawyer describes his claim as “a brazen lie”. This case sheds light on the ongoing mystery surrounding the true identity of bitcoin’s inventor.
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