London court judge James Mellor reported the Australian computer scientist Craig Wright to Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors over possible false statement regarding Bitcoin. An Australian man who claimed to have invented the cryptocurrency Bitcoin lied extensively and repeatedly in court to support his false claim, according to a judge. This was reported by the Reuters agency today.
The possibility of criminal prosecution
“I have not the slightest doubt that I should hand over the relevant documents in this case to the CPS for consideration of whether to prosecute Dr Wright for his perjury and forgery of documents, or whether a warrant should be issued, or whether one should be sought from anywhere , where he is at the moment,” said the judge.
Wright has long claimed to be behind the invention of the most famous cryptocurrency. He says he is the author of a 2008 draft text that, when published, credited Satoshi Nakamoto as the author, and which served as the basis for the creation of Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto is a pseudonym, and it is still unclear whether he is one person or a group of developers.
Court decision and COPA requirement
But Judge James Mellor rejected Wright’s claims in March. Wright was sued by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) to prevent him from suing Bitcoin developers. She asked the court to rule that Wright was not Satoshi. The judge granted the request at the end of the trial, saying that the evidence was “overwhelming”.
Development and value of bitcoin
Bitcoin was created in 2009 as an alternative to official currencies. It is based on blockchain technology, which is a decentralized ledger that allows data, not just cryptocurrencies, to be sent transparently and securely. While in 2010 bitcoin cost less than one dollar (today over CZK 23), it currently hovers above USD 60,000 (CZK 1.4 million).
Bitcoin detractors and subjective value
Despite its considerable popularity, Bitcoin also has a number of opponents, the risks associated with it are repeatedly pointed out by, for example, central banks. Economists at the European Central Bank (ECB) have stated several times that the real value of Bitcoin is zero. Many supporters of Bitcoin, on the other hand, stand for the so-called subjective value. According to it, the objective value of a good or service cannot be determined and the value is derived from how much an individual values the given good or service.
Source: čtk
