Australian computer scientist and self-proclaimed Bitcoin co-founder Craig Wright is facing a contempt of court lawsuit over his lawsuit against the developers of BTC Core and Jack Dorsey’s Square. UK Judge James Mellor adjourned Wright’s case until the appeal is resolved on December 18.
Wright Charged with Contempt in Bitcoin Core Lawsuit
On November 1, Craig Wright went to court regarding a contempt of court claim in his £911 million lawsuit, worth $1.2 billion, against the developers of Bitcoin Core and Square Up European Ltd.
In response, the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA) filed a contempt petition, arguing that Wright violated an injunction resulting from Bitcoin patent litigation.
As reported by Bitcoinist, British High Court Judge James Mellor ruled against Wright’s claims to be the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, earlier this year. The judge concluded that the Australian computer scientist “lied repeatedly” in his written and oral evidence and forged documents to a large extent to support his claims.
As a result, the court ordered Wright to admit that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto and to cease any further legal action related to his rejected authorship claims.
According to a transcript of the court hearing shared by BitMEX Research, the petition alleges that Wright violated the Court’s previous decision after threatening to bring Prohibited Proceedings and ultimately do so against Bitcoin Core and Square.
COPA's Contempt of Court application form. Source: BitMEX Research on X.
The self-proclaimed Satoshi Nakamoto filed a lawsuit on October 10, claiming that the developers of BTC Core and “all those involved” have misrepresented BTC as the original Bitcoin.
Wright, who is representing himself in the case, says that the development of Taproot and Segregated Witness (SegWit) “caused confusion in the market and jeopardized the vision of the Bitcoin protocol.”
In addition, the computer scientist claims that Bitcoin SV (BSV) is the real version of the prominent cryptocurrency and asked for more than $1 billion in damages for defamation and misrepresentation.
Wright Denies COPA Allegations
During today’s hearing, Wright, who was on a video call from Singapore, denied that, saying, “I don’t believe I’m being rude, my lord.” He went on to say that if the court finds him in contempt, he can agree to amend the case because he does not want to break the law.
Previously, Wright explained to X Music that he didn’t start his latest legal battle as Satoshi “but as someone who is very invested in the program.” The computer scientist says his new claim is “significantly different” from the identity claim as it is based on his “responsibilities in the development, maintenance, and expansion of the Bitcoin blockchain.”
Judge Mellor decided to stay Wright’s case while the contempt petition was resolved and scheduled a reporter’s hearing for December 18. However, Wright initially objected to appearing in court that day, saying that his autism spectrum disorder (ASD) would prevent him physically. in court.
Meanwhile, COPA’s legal representative, Jonathan Hough, said the seriousness of the allegations required all parties to be in court:
This is a very sensitive judging process. So, we think it should happen in person. CSW has brought a very serious claim that, if there is any merit to the COPA claim, it is not legal to hide behind a keyboard in a Thai cabinet. CSW says he is a UK citizen and should be expected to return to the UK for the hearing.
In the end, Judge Mellor set another hearing date for the application on November 26 to determine whether Wright will be in court next month.
Bitcoin is trading at $69,592 in the three-day chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView
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