Craig Wright Acknowledges Manipulating Bitcoin White Paper in COPA Trial

Crypto News– During Friday’s testimony in the Crypto Open Patent Alliance’s (COPA) trial, Craig Wright admitted to altering the version of the Bitcoin whitepaper he presented. This trial, now in its third week, aims to ascertain Wright’s claim to be the anonymous creator of the Bitcoin whitepaper, famously known as Satoshi Nakamoto. COPA contends that Wright’s assertion is a fabrication supported by what they describe as “industrial-style forgeries,” with Alexander Gunning, representing Bitcoin developers, aiding their case.

Craig Wright Acknowledges Manipulating Bitcoin White Paper in COPA Trial

Gunning revealed on Friday that Wright had indeed made modifications to the Bitcoin whitepaper within his LaTeX files, a fact to which Wright concurred. Wright explained these edits as mere demonstrations for his legal representatives at Shoosmiths, his law firm, refuting any intent to present them publicly. Gunning emphasized, “What you are doing is tweaking parameters… to get them to fit” the format of the Bitcoin whitepaper. The file containing these alterations was uploaded as recently as November 2023, Gunning pointed out.

Concluding his inquiry, Gunning challenged Wright, asking, “Your claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto is a fraudulent claim, isn’t it?” Wright disputed this accusation.

Week three

Wrapping up the third week of the trial, Wright’s testimony followed appearances by witnesses from COPA who faced questioning from Wright’s legal team.

Computer scientist Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, the founder of Zcash, testified on Thursday. When questioned about his relationship with Nakamoto, Wilcox stated that he wouldn’t describe himself as close friends with the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator. According to court documents, Wilcox expressed uncertainty regarding any private conversations he might have had with Nakamoto.

Contrastingly, other witnesses displayed more certainty about their interactions with Nakamoto. Computer scientist Marti Malmi testified on Wednesday, disputing the timeline provided by Wright regarding Malmi’s exchanges with Nakamoto. Malmi subsequently made public his emails with Nakamoto via X (formerly Twitter).

In his witness statement, Wright claimed that Malmi initiated contact with Nakamoto in February 2009. However, Malmi refuted this assertion, stating in his statement that the actual date was May 1, 2009.