Image credit: The Byteline

Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist living in the UK, has been convicted of contempt of court for repeatedly and falsely claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.

According to the BBC, the High Court ruled in March that Wright was not Satoshi and ordered him to cease such claims. Despite this, Wright continued launching legal cases asserting intellectual property rights to Bitcoin, including a $1.2 trillion claim, actions the court deemed a "flagrant breach" of its earlier ruling.

Wright was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, meaning he faces jail time if he persists in claiming he invented the cryptocurrency.

However, during a videolink appearance, Wright refused to disclose his location, stating only that he was in Asia. This complicates enforcement, as UK authorities would require an international arrest warrant and potentially face challenges due to extradition limitations.

The judge, Mr. Justice Mellor, criticized Wright’s claims as "legal nonsense," describing his actions as "legal terrorism" that caused significant distress to those involved.

Despite ruling against Wright, the judge acknowledged that Wright appeared to strategically operate from jurisdictions lacking extradition arrangements with the UK.

Wright’s assertion of being Satoshi Nakamoto dates back to 2016, but his inability to provide concrete evidence has led the cryptocurrency community to largely dismiss his claim.

Bitcoin's meteoric rise, particularly following Donald Trump's election as U.S. president, has made its creator one of the wealthiest theoretical individuals, with an estimated $100 billion in Bitcoin holdings.

Wright’s legal battles culminated in a High Court trial earlier this year after the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a coalition of industry organizations, sought to prevent him from continuing his baseless legal actions.

The court ruled in COPA’s favor, concluding that Wright had "lied extensively" in his attempts to substantiate his claim. COPA’s lawyer, Jonathan Hough, described Wright’s conduct as veering into "farce" but emphasized its "deadly serious" consequences, including a chilling effect on the cryptocurrency industry.

Despite numerous claims over the years, including Wright’s, none have been substantiated, and the true identity of Bitcoin’s creator remains a mystery.

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