COPA to seek criminal charges for Craig Wright’s Satoshi ‘lies’ COPA to seek criminal charges for Craig Wright’s Satoshi ‘lies’
COPA argued that the evidence clearly shows that Wright did not invent Bitcoin, write its White Paper, or produce the code.
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Updated: Mar. 15, 2024 at 4:08 pm UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
In the closing stages of the legal case over the identity of Bitcoin’s creator, the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) said that Craig Wright has failed to establish his claims despite multiple attempts at forgery and should be prosecuted criminally.
COPA’s lawyers said during the closing statement that Wright has perjured himself on multiple counts during the proceedings and submitted documents that are clearly forged.
The lawyers said:
“The audacity of forging an email in the midst of the trial to support his misleading evidence is not only a direct affront to the integrity of the court but also to the foundational principles of justice.”
The organization urged the court to pursue criminal charges against Wright and intends to submit the forged documents to the prosecutor’s office.
Pattern of falsehoods
COPA argued that the evidence clearly shows Dr. Wright did not invent Bitcoin, write the Bitcoin White Paper, or produce the crypto’s code. The team highlighted Wright’s reliance on a vast number of forged documents to support his claim, accusing him of attempting serious fraud against the court.
According to COPA’s lawyers:
“In his quest to substantiate his claim to be Satoshi, Dr. Wright has engaged in the production of a staggering array of forged documents, attempting a serious and elaborate fraud upon the court.”
The closing statements specifically pointed to two incidents that, according to COPA, exemplify Wright’s alleged deceptive tactics.
Firstly, Wright requested a trial adjournment in December, introducing the BDO Drive material and the White Paper LaTeX files as new evidence. COPA claims expert analysis revealed these documents as forgeries created recently, undermining their validity as evidence.
Additionally, COPA accused Wright of forging an email during the trial to support his narrative about the MYOB records, aiming to discredit the accurate account provided by his former solicitors, Ontier. COPA has dismissed Wright’s explanation for this forgery as highly improbable.
Additionally, the lawyers argued that Wright had committed perjury during the proceedings, saying:
“Throughout his testimony, Dr. Wright has engaged in a continuous pattern of falsehoods. There are no bounds to his willingness to deceive, as evidenced by his repeated lies under oath.”
COPA vs. Wright
Wright has claimed to be Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, for the better part of a decade and wants to wrest control of the flagship crypto’s development and source code via copyright laws — resulting in COPA filing a lawsuit to disprove his claims.
COPA is seeking injunctive relief to ensure Wright cannot continue to lay claim to Bitcoin’s heritage.
The trial has been going on for several weeks and will continue for a few more days before the UK court can reach a verdict, as both sides have yet to conclude presenting their closing arguments.
COPA, representing a group of crypto developers and stakeholders, challenged Wright’s assertions in court, arguing that his claims were unfounded and supported by a series of forgeries and misleading evidence.
The case spotlighted Wright’s submission of what COPA contends are recently created documents intended to back his claim, including material related to the early development of Bitcoin and alleged communications from the period Satoshi was active.
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Author 
Assad Jafri
AJ, a passionate journalist since Yemen's 2011 Arab Spring, has honed his skills worldwide for over a decade. Specializing in financial journalism, he now focuses on crypto reporting.
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Bitcoin, a decentralized currency that defies the sway of central banks or administrators, transacts electronically, circumventing intermediaries via a peer-to-peer network.
Craig Steven Wright, commonly referred to as CSW, is an Australian computer scientist and business professional who has been at the center of controversy within the cryptocurrency community.