Portrait of the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto Mysterious Founder of Bitcoin. Source: Csák István - stock.adobe.com

Key Takeaways:

Craig Wright has ended his appeal against Hodlonaut in Norway, effectively concluding a nearly five-year-long legal battle concerning his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin.
The cessation of this appeal follows a U.K. court ruling affirming Wright is not Satoshi Nakamoto, aligning with previous decisions including one from a trial in Oslo that also supported Hodlonaut’s claims against Wright.
Despite the end of this particular legal dispute, Wright faces ongoing legal challenges, including another defamation case against Hodlonaut in the U.K.

Craig Wright has ceased his appeal against Norwegian cryptocurrency enthusiast Hodlonaut, effectively ending a nearly five-year legal dispute.

This decision follows closely on the heels of a U.K. court ruling that Wright, who claimed to be the creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto, does not hold this identity.

Craig Wright drops defamation appeal in Norway https://t.co/6NdJKLOeGb
— The Block (@TheBlock__) April 11, 2024

The legal skirmish began when Hodlonaut made several social media posts labeling Wright as a “scammer” and a “fraud” for his assertions about being Bitcoin’s inventor.

A 2022 trial in Oslo concluded with the Norwegian judge supporting Hodlonaut, establishing that Wright had indeed misrepresented his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto in his attempts to prove it.

In addition to the Oslo court’s ruling, Wright’s appeal was further weakened by a separate U.K. court verdict last month, where Judge James Mellor sided with the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA).

JUST IN ‼️ – Craig Wright has dropped his appeal against @hodlonaut in Norway!

His win from 2022 is now final and enforceable.

Wright’s case against Hodlonaut in the UK is still undecided, but if COPA’s recent win is any indication, things are looking up for Hodlonaut! 👏 pic.twitter.com/AdDT6QSw59
— Swan (@Swan) April 11, 2024

The group had filed a lawsuit against Wright to prevent him from asserting copyrights to the Bitcoin whitepaper and suing under the Satoshi Nakamoto pseudonym.

Judge Mellor declared unequivocally that Wright was neither the author of the Bitcoin white paper, nor the creator of Bitcoin, nor had he authored the initial versions of Bitcoin software.

Following these legal setbacks, Wright, along with his prominent supporter, billionaire Calvin Ayre, have notably receded from public discourse.

JUST IN: Craig Wright has officially dropped the appeal in his case against @hodlonaut 👀

Hodlonaut's 2022 victory is now completely final 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yvVqM0HKrh
— Bitcoin News (@BitcoinNewsCom) April 11, 2024

Ayre recently indicated on social media that he would be taking a significant break from public engagements.

Despite Wright’s decision to withdraw his appeal in Norway, his legal battles are far from over, with another defamation case against Hodlonaut still pending in the U.K.