Craig Wright, an Australian native who has been vocally claiming to be the mastermind behind Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, has been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence by a UK court for contempt. This ruling was made after Wright allegedly disregarded a court order prohibiting him from making further legal claims related to his assertion of being the creator of Bitcoin. The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) successfully argued that Wright’s lawsuit filed in October, seeking over £900 billion ($1.1 trillion) for intellectual property rights, was a clear violation of the injunction issued in July 2024. Judge James Mellor found Wright guilty of five counts of contempt, noting his repeated lies and lack of remorse. If Wright violates the terms of the suspended sentence within the next two years, he could face imprisonment. Additionally, he has been ordered to pay £145,000 ($181,000) to cover COPA’s legal costs.
