A British judge has referred Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed inventor of bitcoin, to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for possible criminal charges of perjury and forgery. Justice James Mellor of England's High Court of Justice made the referral and granted two injunctions prohibiting Wright from relitigating his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin.
The full ruling, issued recently, casts doubts on Wright's identity as Nakamoto. Mellor had previously found that Wright had "lied repeatedly and extensively" and forged documents on a grand scale regarding his claims. COPA, the nonprofit Crypto Open Patent Alliance, initially sued Wright to disprove his claims and prevent him from claiming intellectual property rights to bitcoin.
Wright's current location is unknown, and evidence suggests he may have left the UK. COPA informed the court that Wright might be evading service intentionally or is difficult to locate, a view Justice Mellor found justified.
The judge emphasized that Wright's false claims through numerous legal actions constituted a severe abuse of the legal system. Meanwhile, the approved injunctions aim to stop Wright from suing or threatening developers related to his bitcoin claims. However, additional measures preventing Wright from asserting legal rights as Nakamoto and forcing him to delete previous statements were not issued.
Mellor ruled that, although his comments, if renewed, might slightly convince some individuals, the broader impact would be limited. He remarked that "right-thinking people" would likely dismiss Wright's assertions as empty rhetoric. COPA retains the right to request further injunctive relief within two years if necessary.
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