In the unfolding lawsuit between the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) and Craig Wright, three key witnesses who had early interactions with Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, provided their testimonies. Among them were early Bitcoin developers Martti Malmi and Mike Hearn, as well as Adam Back, the creator of Hashcash, the proof-of-work ( PoW) algorithm integral to Bitcoin’s mining process. The court also reviewed never-before-seen emails exchanged between Back and Nakamoto, shedding new light on their correspondence.
Satoshi Correspondence Revealed by Witnesses in Legal Clash Against Craig Wright
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Witnesses Challenge Craig Wright in Court
Adam Back, Blockstream founder and the creator of Hashcash, was among the first to testify. At the request of the legal team from Bird & Bird, Back disclosed a series of emails with Nakamoto. One particular email from Nakamoto highlighted the intention to cite Back’s contribution to the Bitcoin white paper, specifically for the PoW concept derived from Hashcash’s mechanism. This citation was made in the original 2008 Bitcoin white paper.
In the course of their email exchange, Back pointed out the resemblance between Nakamoto’s concept and Wei Dai‘s B-Money. Nakamoto concurred with this observation and consequently chose to include a citation to Dai in the white paper. Back further contributed to their exchange by sharing a document titled “micromint” with Nakamoto and then didn’t hear back from Bitcoin’s creator until the release of the Bitcoin software. Martti Malmi, too, offered his insights, initially hesitant to participate. Malmi recounted his early interactions with Nakamoto and mentioned becoming aware of Craig Wright in 2015.
Malmi critiqued a complex article penned by Wright, describing it as “very lengthy, hard to follow, and hard to understand,” puzzled as to why Wright didn’t opt for a simpler proof by signing a message. The Finnish computer scientist also observed Wright’s many legal challenges and his unexpected mentions in court. Malmi said he was inaccurately referred to as Norwegian by Wright, despite Nakamoto’s clear recognition of his Finnish origins. Malmi refuted several of Wright’s claims directed at him, categorically denying each one.
‘Star Trek-Style Technobabble’
In another insightful testimony, Bitcoin developer Mike Hearn shared his experiences of interacting with Wright, including a memorable dinner alongside Jon Matonis. Initially, Hearn had provided Bird & Bird law firm with emails from Wright dating back to 2014 and 2016. The opportunity for a face-to-face meeting arose when Matonis invited Hearn to join him and Wright for dinner after a conference, an invitation Hearn accepted, given his alternative was dining alone.
During the meal, Hearn aimed to verify Wright’s claims of being Satoshi by posing questions only the real Nakamoto could accurately respond to. However, Hearn found the attempt “fruitless,” noting, “He failed all of my check questions,” and described the majority of their conversation as inconsequential chatter. Throughout the dinner, despite Wright asserting his identity as Satoshi, he reportedly stumbled over Hearn’s questions, displaying a lack of understanding. Hearn observed Wright’s explanations as confused and filled with inaccuracies, likening his responses to “Star Trek-style technobabble,” indicating a clear disconnect from the knowledge expected of Bitcoin’s creator.
What do you think about the witnesses who testified in the COPA vs. Wright lawsuit in the U.K.? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.
