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Judge rules computer scientist is not Bitcoin inventor: Gareth Dickson for The FinTech Times

Posted on 18 March 2024

Gareth Dickson, a Partner at Mishcon de Reya, has shared his insights regarding the recent High Court decision which determined that the Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not the creator of Bitcoin.

The true identity of Bitcoin's inventor, known by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, remains a mystery. Dr. Wright has been asserting that he is Nakamoto since 2016. However, Mr Justice Mellor dismissed these claims promptly after the legal proceedings, stating that the evidence against Wright's claim was "overwhelming".

Gareth commented: "The judge’s finding that the evidence against Dr Wright’s claim was ‘overwhelming’ is hugely significant.

“First and foremost, it means that Dr Wright cannot now assert this claim against third parties, whether for defamation or for passing off. Perhaps more importantly for Dr Wright personally, it suggests that there were serious problems with parts of the evidence put before the court, some of which have been alleged to have been forged. If the judge were to find that evidence had been forged, it would be a very serious matter indeed.

“Most importantly of all, the speed and certainty of this finding shows that the English courts are very well-suited to dealing with technically complex disputes involving emerging and developing technologies. The English courts have shown, again, that they can provide one of the best forums in the world for determining these sorts of cutting-edge disputes.”

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