© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Australian computer scientist Craig Wright arrives at the Rolls Building at the High Court in London, Britain, February 5, 2024. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
(Fixes typo in paragraph 8)
By Sam Tobin
LONDON (Reuters) – An Australian computer scientist who claims to have invented bitcoin told a London court on Tuesday that he had never falsified documents to try to prove his controversial claim, as he began to present evidence in a legal battle over ownership of the bitcoin. cryptocurrency.
Craig Wright claims to be the author of a 2008 white paper, the founding text of bitcoin, published under the name “Satoshi Nakamoto.”
But the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) has taken Wright to court, it says to prevent him from suing bitcoin developers and to preserve the open source nature of the world's best-known and most popular cryptocurrency.
COPA is asking the High Court in London to rule that Wright is not Satoshi. He says he has repeatedly falsified documents to substantiate his claim, before changing his story when the alleged fabrications are discovered.
Wright, however, denies relying on false records and has blamed others, including former attorneys and associates, for any inauthentic documents.
The 54-year-old began the first of six days of evidence on Tuesday in a high-stakes hearing that is the culmination of years of speculation about Satoshi Nakamoto's true identity.
COPA attorney Jonathan Hough asked Wright, “Have you ever falsified or falsified a document that supports your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto?” Wright responded, “No.”
“Have you ever knowingly presented a falsified or falsified document in support of your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto?” Hough asked. Wright responded, “I haven't.”
Hough presented Wright with numerous alleged forgeries, including an academic paper with handwritten notes that Wright said fueled his decision to use the name Satoshi Nakamoto.
COPA says the document contains a forged timestamp with numbers in visibly different fonts to make it appear to predate the bitcoin whitepaper.
Hough told Wright: “This is a document forged by you as part of the origin myth.”
Wright said he did not forge the document, adding, “If I forged that document, it would be perfect.”
