Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who falsely claimed to be Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been sentenced to 12 months in jail, suspended for two years.
In March 2024, a U.K. court ruled that Wright was not Nakamoto. The ruling came after Wright continued to assert ownership over Bitcoin's intellectual property. In July, Wright was ordered to publicly declare that he was not the creator of Bitcoin, and he was prohibited from further legal actions related to his claim. However, in October, Wright filed another lawsuit, accusing Bitcoin developers of misrepresenting Nakamoto’s vision, claiming damages of over $1.18 billion. This led the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to file a contempt case against him.
COPA argued that Wright’s repeated legal battles, based on his claims to be Nakamoto, were an attempt to maintain his public following and were a violation of the previous court order. Wright’s actions included lawsuits against more than 100 companies, demanding nearly £900 billion in damages, as he sought to enforce his intellectual property rights over Bitcoin’s whitepaper.
Wright’s legal troubles began in 2021 when he started suing individuals and organizations for the rights to the Bitcoin whitepaper. Despite being dismissed in previous cases, including a claim for $1.14 trillion in damages, Wright continued to pursue these legal actions. The contempt charge arose from his filing of a new lawsuit against COPA, which he argued was in line with his rights as Nakamoto.
In the Dec. 19 hearing, Wright was not present in court but appeared via video link, citing financial and logistical reasons for his absence. COPA had offered to fly him to the hearing in economy class, but Wright declined, stating he was in Asia for work. Judge James Mellor, who had earlier ruled that Wright was not Nakamoto, handed down a suspended sentence, noting that the intention was to deter further violations of the court’s orders. However, the judge also acknowledged Wright’s physical absence from the U.K., which complicated the enforcement of any custodial sentence.
Wright's defense team has stated their intent to appeal, but COPA’s legal counsel believes this ruling should be the final chapter in Wright’s attempts to claim Bitcoin’s creation. They argue that after the March ruling, it was clear that Wright was not Nakamoto, and his continuing actions were nothing more than a publicity stunt. Despite the legal battles, the true identity of Bitcoin’s creator remains unknown.