We now know who Satoshi Nakamoto is not

Phil Rosen

March 14, 2024 8:27 PM

The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoin's pseudonymous inventor, remains a mystery — but as of Thursday, we have more details as to who Satoshi is not.

A judge ruled Craig Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of bitcoin.DANIEL LEAL / Getty Contributor

A London judge ruled developer Craig Wright is not the inventor of bitcoin.
Wright had claimed that he is Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous inventor of the crypto.
The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance sued Wright for his claims he invented bitcoin.

London judge Edward Mellow ruled that Craig Wright is not Satoshi and that he did not invent the world's largest cryptocurrency. He maintained that Wright did not author the famed bitcoin white paper, which was published more than 15 years ago.

The ruling marked the conclusion to a case brought forward by the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance, a group of computer developers with the backing of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, which sued Wright over his claims that he invented the world's biggest cryptocurrency. Wright has attempted multiple times to confirm his identity as Satoshi but he has not convinced most of the broader crypto community.

"This decision is a win for developers, for the entire open source community, and for the truth," said COPA in a statement posted on X.

—COPA (@opencryptoorg) March 14, 2024

The court agreed with COPA that Wright had lied about being Satoshi. In a March 13 blog post, the group laid out its full rationale refuting Wright's claims and emphasizing what it said are gaps between his story and the history of bitcoin's development.

The court will deliver a written judgment at a later date.

Satoshi is a legendary figure in cryptocurrency's short history. His paper, "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," came out in October 2008, and it's since become a revered document in certain circles. Some theorists have drawn connections to the late Steve Jobs.

Bitcoin this week has soared to new records and has gained 61% year-to-date. The token hovered at $71,240 shortly after midday on Thursday.

Phil Rosen