After nearly a decade of controversy surrounding his claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of Bitcoin, Craig Wright has finally been exposed as a fraud. In a recent ruling, Justice James Mellor of England’s High Court of Justice declared that Wright had lied extensively and engaged in forgery to prove his false identity as Satoshi.
Since the beginning of Wright’s claims in 2015, hardcore Bitcoin enthusiasts had dismissed him, but the mainstream media gave him a platform to spread his lies and cause damage to the reputation of Bitcoin and its community. However, with the court’s decision, the industry can now maintain the narrative of Bitcoin’s “immaculate conception” without any lingering doubts planted by Wright and aided by publications such as Gizmodo, Wired, BBC, The Economist, The Financial Times, and GQ.
Even in 2019, some media outlets failed to see through Wright’s deception. When he filed a U.S. copyright claim for the Bitcoin white paper, the Financial Times quoted a Wright spokesman who called it a recognition of Wright as Satoshi Nakamoto. Wright also fooled Gavin Andresen, who was entrusted with the Bitcoin source code by Satoshi himself. This led to confusion and the revocation of Andresen’s commit access, causing uneasiness within the Bitcoin industry.
In contrast to Wright’s boastful and attention-seeking behavior, Satoshi was known for being patient, disciplined, and humble. He never sought the limelight and even discouraged early adopters from promoting Bitcoin further. In 2011, Satoshi disappeared, possibly due to concerns about WikiLeaks accepting Bitcoin and a presentation given to the CIA by Andresen.
Wright’s attempt to prove his identity as Satoshi was deemed a serious abuse of the court’s process by Justice Mellor. While Wright has stated that he will appeal the decision, the ruling represents a significant defeat for him and may expose him to legal action from those who have suffered due to his actions, including companies like Coinbase and content creators like Peter McCormack.
If Wright were truly Satoshi, he could easily prove it by signing a message with the private key to the Genesis Block and a non-backdated PGP key. However, he has never been able to provide such proof.
The decision is a crucial moment for Bitcoin, as it allows the community to finally move on from the disruptive presence of Craig Wright. His baseless lawfare tactics should serve as a warning to us all. With this ruling, Bitcoin can now continue its journey without the shadow of Wright’s false claims hanging over it.