Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who has long claimed to be Satoshi Nakamoto — the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, faced another legal setback in his battle to substantiate his claims.
A UK judge recently denied Wright permission to appeal a ruling that declared he is not Nakamoto. The decision marks a significant blow to Wright’s ongoing efforts to establish his identity as Bitcoin’s creator.
The appeal, rejected by Lord Justice Arnold, stems from two cases Wright brought against the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA). The judge dismissed the appeal as “totally without merit,” citing a series of issues, including inaccuracies and what were described as “AI-generated hallucinations.”
This term refers to fabricated information produced by AI tools such as ChatGPT. Specifically, the appeal referenced cases, like “Anderson v the Queen [2013],” which do not exist.
Wright’s reliance on AI-generated content in a legal document was heavily criticized, raising questions about the rigor of his legal arguments.
What does this mean for Wright?
The controversy around Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto dates back to 2016, but it was in March of this year that a London High Court judge officially ruled against him.
Following that decision, the court froze $7.6 million of Wright’s assets to ensure he could not cover court costs in his legal dispute with COPA. Under UK law, plaintiffs who lose cases are typically required to pay the legal costs incurred by the defendants.
In his appeal, Wright argued that the judge in the original case, Justice Mellor, was biased due to a meeting with David Pearce, a UK and European patent attorney.
However, the appeal was dismissed because Mellor had already announced his ruling two months prior to the alleged meeting. Pearce, who has closely followed the case, stated that the rejection of the appeal was expected but noted that the emphatic nature of the denial was surprising.
The recent ruling is considered by many to be the final word on Wright’s claim of being Nakamoto, effectively closing the door on his campaign to gain legal recognition as Bitcoin’s creator.
However, this is not the end of Wright’s legal challenges. He is set to appear in court next month in London to face allegations of contempt of court for continuing to pursue Bitcoin-related legal proceedings.
Reports have it that if found guilty, Wright could face jail time, along with potential charges of perjury linked to the “use of forgeries” in his case against COPA.
