A judge at London’s High Court declared on Thursday that Australian computer scientist Craig Wright is not the elusive “Satoshi Nakamoto”, the pseudonymous inventor of Bitcoin.

Wright has long asserted that he authored the foundational text of Bitcoin, a 2008 white paper published under the name Satoshi Nakamoto.

The lawsuit was brought against Wright by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), a group that includes Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s payments firm Block.

Their aim was to prevent Wright from suing Bitcoin developers by seeking a ruling that he was not, in fact, Satoshi.

COPA accused Wright of fabricating documents to support his claim, a charge Wright denied during the trial.

Their lawyer, Jonathan Hough, labeled Wright’s assertion as “a brazen lie” supported by extensive forgery, including alleged use of AI-generated forgeries.

While Dorsey’s response to the ruling was succinct – a single letter “W” alongside a quote from the judge – the case highlights the significance of Wright’s claim and its potential financial ramifications, with alleged claims amounting to hundreds of billions of dollars.

Wright’s legal team countered with assertions of providing “clear evidence” demonstrating his authorship of the Bitcoin white paper and creation of the cryptocurrency.