See More

Craig Wright Faces Accusations of Document Forgery in Bitcoin Case

2 mins
Updated by Ryan James
Join our Trading Community on Telegram

In Brief

  • The Crypto Patent Alliance (COPA) accuses Bitcoin inventor Craig Wright of using forged documents as the nonprofit's trial kicked off.
  • COPA lawyers allege Wright submitted false documents thrice, with signs of forgery found by independent auditors and Wright's experts.
  • Wright, involved in several lawsuits, was sued by nonprofit COPA in April 2021 for claiming authorship of the 2008 Bitcoin whitepaper.
  • promo

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) has accused self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor Craig Wright of forging documents. On Monday, the nonprofit said in court that Craig Wright repeatedly used fake documents to support his claim that he authored the Bitcoin whitepaper.

In his twentieth witness statement, COPA’s lawyer, Philip Nathan Sherrell, said that Wright’s assertion of his authorship of the Bitcoin 2008 whitepaper was ‘a brazen lie.’ COPA’s case against the Australian computer scientist commenced trial in the UK yesterday.

Craig Wright Built Bitcoin Defense on Lies

According to Sherrell, Wright submitted provably false documents on at least three occasions. Wright always submitted these documents after failing to produce them on time for his trial.

According to Sherrel, an independent auditor and an expert appointed by Wright, Dr. Placks, agreed on the inauthenticity of the first set of forged documents. Similarly, Sherrell asserts that another of Wright’s experts, Dr. Lynch, corroborated findings that Wright forged a second set of documents he found on a “new drive.” 

The third set, written with a software package called LaTeX, was proved false by the first independent auditor and Lynch. Bitcoin’s pseudonymous founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, used OpenOffice, not LaTeX, to create the Bitcoin whitepaper.

Wright now wants to submit a fourth set of late documents, the “Application documents,” which Sherrell argues will be as inauthentic as the previous submissions. COPA asserts that the court should not admit these documents.

Jonathan Hough, KC, a senior COPA legal team member, told the court that Wright’s claim to the title of the Bitcoin inventor was founded completely on forgeries. In a written submission to the court, he wrote,

“Dr Wright has consistently failed to supply genuine proof of his claim to be Satoshi: instead, he has repeatedly proffered documents which bear clear signs of having been doctored.”

Read more: What Is Bitcoin? A Guide to the Original Cryptocurrency

Wright’s lawyers say COPA has failed to disprove that their client is not Nakamoto. The second day of the trial will take place today.

Wright’s Battle to be Called the Bitcoin Inventor

COPA sued Craig Wright in April 2021 for claiming he wrote the Bitcoin whitepaper. In their original court filing, COPA asked the courts to restrain Wright from claiming he authored the document. The nonprofit rejected a settlement from Wright in January. 

Read more: Bitcoin Pizza Day Explained: The Story of the First BTC Transaction

The claimed Bitcoin inventor has fought several lawsuits, including a defamation case against podcaster Peter McCormack. A UK judge awarded him one British pound sterling in damages. He also lost a case in Norway against Hodlonaut, a pseudonymous individual who alleged that Wright was not Nakamoto.

Craig Wright Bitcoin Satoshi Vision
BSV Price Chart | Source: BeInCrypto

In addition to claiming authorship of the whitepaper, Wright created a cryptocurrency called Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV), which he claims is based on Satoshi’s true vision of a decentralized currency. The Bitcoin SV price is up 0.7% in the past 24 hours.

Top crypto projects in the US | April 2024

Trusted

Disclaimer

In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. This news article aims to provide accurate, timely information. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content. Please note that our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Disclaimers have been updated.

David-Thomas.jpg
David Thomas
David Thomas graduated from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Durban, South Africa, with an Honors degree in electronic engineering. He worked as an engineer for eight years, developing software for industrial processes at South African automation specialist Autotronix (Pty) Ltd., mining control systems for AngloGold Ashanti, and consumer products at Inhep Digital Security, a domestic security company wholly owned by Swedish conglomerate Assa Abloy. He has experience writing software in C,...
READ FULL BIO
Sponsored
Sponsored