Computer scientist Dr. Craig S. Wright is ratcheting up his legal fight against a defamatory campaign led by conflicted crypto critics.
On March 29, Dr. Wright, the individual behind the Satoshi Nakamoto pseudonym and part of the team that created Bitcoin, filed legal papers targeting the individual behind the @Hodlonaut Twitter account. Hodlonaut was accused of waging a “targeted campaign” to harass and libel Wright with “highly defamatory and abusive tweets.”
On April 12, Wright’s attorneys issued similar legal papers to two individuals – Bitcoin podcast host Peter McCormack and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin – and to cryptocurrency blog Chepicap, all of which he accuses of making similarly defamatory claims that Wright is a fraud for claiming to be Satoshi.
Conveniently enough, mere hours before his papers arrived, McCormack publicly (via Twitter) ‘demanded’ to be the target of such a lawsuit. McCormack subsequently told his Twitter followers that the letter from Wright’s attorneys was “nonsense,” repeated his ‘Faketoshi’ slur against Wright and invited Wright’s attorneys to “please proceed with court proceedings.” As for that latter quote, word has it that McCormack’s request will be granted on Monday.
Buterin has so far said little publicly about receiving his letter, while Chepicap has posted a few dismissive articles that primarily referenced the other recipients. All of those who received letters on Friday have been given until April 23 to make formal responses, after which Wright will decide whether to proceed with libel and harassment suits.
Wright’s aim in targeting individuals and sites alleging fraud is to counter the ongoing dissemination of ‘proofs’ that purport to show the falsity of his claim to the Satoshi mantle. These incorrect or invalid proofs, often cherry picked from documents that may or may not have originated from Wright, along with other hearsay and fabrications, appear to be part of a deliberate effort to discredit Wright and thus diminish his influence on the Bitcoin sector.
It’s time for the Bitcoin community to finally emerge from its extended adolescence and start behaving as a serious force in the world of global finance. This isn’t going to happen if the community continues to resemble a hyperbolic Reddit thread in which death threats are exchanged over whether Han or Greedo shot first.
In a more adult world, the sector’s focus would be on the technology, particularly the Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) protocol, the only one capable of the massive on-chain scaling necessary to meet the demands of a global financial platform. But until that magical day when tech trumps name-calling, here we are.
Where you should be if you want to have an open and honest discussion about the future of money and blockchain technology is the next CoinGeek Conference in Toronto on May 29-30. The CoinGeek event is inclusive and welcomes everyone interested in learning about Bitcoin SV and the Satoshi Vision, even if you also support other cryptocurrency or blockchain projects. Whether or not any of Wright’s adversaries make an appearance remains to be seen, but if they do show, they need to bring better arguments to support their respective alt-coins than they have to date.
New to blockchain? Check out CoinGeek’s Blockchain for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about blockchain technology.
