In what would be a major milestone for cryptocurrency, the identify of the person behind Bitcoin could be revealed.
One of the oldest questions regarding cryptocurrency that has persisted is who the founder of Bitcoin is – more specifically, who is Satoshi Nakamoto?
Back in 2008, the pseudonymous cryptocurrency inventor released Bitcoin into the world with a white paper he wrote.
However, no one really knows who he is – leaving his identity one big mystery.
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Across all corners of the internet, people have their theories about who the true identity of Nakamoto is.
In 2016, a computer scientist named Craig Wright proclaimed that he was the real Nakamoto.
And because of this claim, he argued that he owns the copyright of the white paper – and therefore has intellectual property rights over Bitcoin’s blockchain.
This claim has been hotly debated, however, and many have expressed their disbelief.
The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (Copa) strongly reject Wright’s claim and have now asked the high court in London to determine once and for all that Wright is not Nakamoto.
The six-week trial got under way today (February 5), with lawyer Jonathan Hough KC representing Copa explaining their stance in a written submission.
“Copa’s case is, simply, that Dr Wright’s claim to be Satoshi is a lie, founded on an elaborate false narrative and backed by forgery of documents on an industrial scale.” he said.
“As his false documents and inconsistencies have been exposed, he has resorted to further forgery and ever more implausible excuses.”
“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.”
Wright has previously denied the forgery accusations.
His lawyer, Anthony Grabiner, also wrote in court filings that he has produced ‘clear evidence demonstrating his authorship of the white paper and creation of bitcoin’, arguing that if Wright was not Nakamoto then ‘the real Satoshi would have been expected to come forward to counter the claim’.
And despite the doubters, Wright has continued to claim he is the founder of Bitcoin and taken to X (formerly Twitter) to give his thoughts on the state of the cryptocurrency world.
Earlier this year, he wrote: “I conceived Bitcoin, and I unveiled it to the world.
“However, in BTC, they’ve torn it asunder. I’ve chosen to forsake BTC because I won’t allow it to exist in a grotesque form, both in its physical embodiment and its underlying connotations.”
For those who continued to say they didn’t believe Wright, he simply said that he ‘didn’t have time to try and convince them’.
Wright is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday (February 5).