Australian who claimed to invent bitcoin referred to prosecutors for perjury

Australian Computer Scientist Referred to British Prosecutors for Alleged Perjury and Forgery

An Australian computer scientist, who falsely claimed to be the elusive creator of the prominent cryptocurrency Bitcoin, is set to be referred to prosecutors in the UK for potential perjury and forgery charges. This decision follows a ruling made by a London judge on Tuesday.

False Claims and Legal Actions

Judge James Mellor concluded in March, after a civil trial, that Craig Wright did not invent Bitcoin and was not the person behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, which has long masked the true identity of Bitcoin's creator. Mellor declared he would forward evidence from the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to evaluate whether Wright should face charges. “In advancing his false claim to be Satoshi through multiple legal actions, Dr. Wright committed ‘a most serious abuse’ of the legal processes in the UK, Norway, and the USA,” Mellor stated.

Ruling Against Wright

The judge determined that Wright did not create the Bitcoin software and made counterfeit claims. The ambiguity of Bitcoin's origins dates back to the 2008 financial crisis, when someone, or a group of people, under the Nakamoto alias, released a paper detailing how digital currency could move anonymously across the globe without reliance on banks or national currencies. For years, speculations surrounded Nakamoto’s true identity, with several potential candidates emerging before Wright came forward in 2016, albeit without sufficient proof.

Impact on Bitcoin and Open Source Community

The High Court ruling was a significant victory for the open-source community, particularly technology and cryptocurrency organizations. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a collective of technology and crypto companies, successfully sued Wright to prove he wasn’t Nakamoto. COPA argued that Wright used his purported claim as Bitcoin’s creator to “terrorize” developers by initiating lawsuits to stop them from enhancing the open-source technology. The judgment has wider implications for the control over the intellectual property rights of Bitcoin, the world's leading virtual currency.

This verdict also impacts three ongoing lawsuits filed by Wright, all of which were based on his claim to hold intellectual property rights to Bitcoin. Wright has consistently denied the allegations against him.

Bitcoin's Significance

Bitcoin remains the most recognized digital currency globally, operating independently of any central bank or government authority. Similar to cash, it allows for anonymous transactions, albeit not entirely. Bitcoin can be converted into cash when deposited into accounts, with conversion rates determined by online trading platforms.