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Craig Wright Hearing Day 4: Judge Insists Court Will Rely on Expert Opinions, “Unless They Are Completely Undermined”

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James Morales
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Key Takeaways

  • A London court is considering the veracity of Dr Craig Wright’s claim that he invented Bitcoin using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • On the 3rd day of Wright’s cross-examination, the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) continued to interrogate him over the authenticity of various documents.
  • Throughout the hearing, Wright has questioned the reliability of expert witness statements.
  • However, on Thursday, Judge James Mellor said he would rely on the authority of independent experts.

On the 4th day of Craig Wright vs. the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), Dr. Wright sat down for his 3rd day of cross-examination, as COPA’s lawyer Jonathan Hough continued his attempt to discredit evidence Wright claims proves he is Satoshi Nakamoto.

Individually, the inconsistencies in document formatting and timestamping flagged by Hough might not be enough to support COPA’s accusations of forgery. But piece by piece, the organization is building a detailed and expansive case. 

COPA Exposes Cracks in Wright’s Defense

Time after time this week, Hough flagged documents that Wright had previously presented as evidence that he invented Bitcoin. In each case. The COPA lawyer has pointed to inconsistencies that suggest Wright may have lied about when he created the files.

From the use of file formats that didn’t exist at the time, to reams of metadata that contradict the stories he has told about their inception, Hough picked through evidence the Australian computer scientist has presented in support of his claim with a fine comb.

In most cases, Wright’s defense was that the files in question have been reformated over the years. Over the course of 3 days, he has blamed various software systems, employees who allegedly planted fake documents, hackers, and his own lawyers for the anomalies identified by COPA. 

Moreover, while he started out confidently asserting the authenticity of the documents, by Thursday afternoon, even Wright appeared to question his own evidence.

When pressed on the reliability of evidence he presented in a previous legal battle with the Tulip Trust, Wright declared “I have no idea and I cannot actually vouch for anything being completely real”.

Judge Reprimands Wright for Questioning Expert Witnesses

Given the technical nature of much of the evidence being considered in Wright vs. Copa, the court has relied on a number of expert witnesses.  

Time and again during his cross-examination, Wright called into doubt expert opinions presented as evidence, including those of his legal team.

On Thursday, however, Judge James Mellor grew tired of Wright’s attempts to dismiss the opinions of independent experts. At one point, he stated:

“Dr Wright, just let me interrupt a moment. One of the advantages of having independent expert witnesses is, if the court agrees that they have given an objective, suitably supported opinion, the court can rely on their opinions.”

“So I suggest that you focus on their opinions, he added. “Because at the moment, unless they are completely undermined, it’s likely I’m going to rely on them, okay?”.

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James Morales

Although his background is in crypto and FinTech news, these days, James likes to roam across CCN’s editorial breadth, focusing mostly on digital technology. Having always been fascinated by the latest innovations, he uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.
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