Yes, he did it again. Who? Craig Wright. The Australian who has been found to wrongly claim to be Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, was dealt another devastating legal blow today. The UK High Court imposed a General Civil Restraint Order (GCRO) against him. The ruling effectively bars Wright from filing any new lawsuits in UK courts. Be it the County Court, the High Court, or the Court of Appeal, without explicit judicial permission. More importantly, he is forbidden from rehashing cases he has already lost, putting an end to what has been described as a relentless campaign of vexatious litigation.
This legal action follows a series of disputes, including a May 2024 ruling by London’s High Court that Wright lied and forged documents to support his Bitcoin creator claim, and a December 2024 contempt of court finding for violating prior injunctions.
This latest ruling marks a spectacular downfall for Wright, who has spent years weaponizing the legal system to silence his critics and assert dubious intellectual property claims over Bitcoin. The decision follows an extensive legal battle spearheaded by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which sought to put an end to Wright’s pattern of abusive litigation and false claims to Bitcoin’s origins.
The High Court’s decision today represents one of the most severe legal rebukes possible in the UK legal system. A General Civil Restraint Order is reserved for individuals who persistently file meritless lawsuits, wasting judicial resources and placing an undue burden on defendants.
The grounds for the GCRO were damning. Wright has engaged in persistent vexatious litigation, filing multiple cases that the courts have deemed “totally without merit” (TWM). He has also demonstrated a blatant abuse of the legal system, repeatedly using the courts to harass individuals, companies, and organisations that challenge his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto. Throughout his legal battles, Wright has relied on fabrication and forgery, presenting falsified documents and false statements to support his claims. Even after repeated judicial warnings, he continued to file lawsuits that attempted to re-litigate issues the courts had already settled.
With this ruling, any future lawsuit Wright attempts to bring must first receive judicial approval. And it has to be said that this is an extraordinary restriction that signals the court’s complete lack of faith in his credibility.
History of Failed Lawsuits and Deception
Wright has spent years aggressively suing individuals and organisations that refused to acknowledge his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto. His strategy was simple: use legal intimidation to force settlements or gain credibility. However, his efforts have backfired spectacularly, culminating in today’s decisive court order.
In March 2024, the High Court ruled definitively that Craig Wright is NOT Satoshi Nakamoto, stating there was “overwhelming evidence” proving Wright’s claims were false. The judgment dismantled his entire legal strategy, concluding that:
- Wright did not write the Bitcoin White Paper (the foundational document of Bitcoin).
- He did not create Bitcoin or the Bitcoin software.
- He is not the person who used the pseudonym “Satoshi Nakamoto”.
This ruling was a devastating legal defeat, but Wright refused to accept it. Instead, he continued filing lawsuits, including a new £900 billion claim against BTC Core and SquareUp Europe Ltd in October 2024. Despite clear court orders prohibiting him from doing so.
Wright’s legal escapades span multiple jurisdictions and a litany of failed claims, each more audacious than the last. He has repeatedly used litigation as a weapon, targeting critics and competitors in an attempt to solidify his disputed claim as Bitcoin’s creator. Among his most notorious cases are defamation lawsuits against high-profile figures in the crypto space, including podcaster Peter McCormack and Bitcoin advocate “Hodlonaut“. Both successfully defended themselves in court, exposing Wright’s claims as baseless. His aggressive legal strategy extended to major crypto exchanges, with lawsuits against Coinbase and Kraken in which he attempted to claim ownership over the Bitcoin name. These cases were ultimately dismissed as completely without merit.
One of Wright’s most brazen attempts at legal manipulation came in the Tulip Trading case, where he sought to force Bitcoin developers to rewrite the blockchain to return coins he claimed were stolen. The court dismissed his claims, determining that the case was fraudulent. He also secured a default judgment against Bitcoin.org’s anonymous operator, “Cobra,” for hosting the Bitcoin White Paper, but this too unraveled when the court overturned the ruling after finding that his claims were built on forgeries.
Wright’s legal downfall is not just about frivolous lawsuits—it is also about forgery, deception, and perjury. In multiple cases, forensic experts determined that documents Wright presented as proof of his identity as Satoshi Nakamoto were manipulated or outright fake. The COPA case revealed that hundreds of Wright’s documents were forged, including supposed early drafts of the Bitcoin White Paper. In the Florida Kleiman case, a U.S. court found him guilty of perjury, ruling that his claims to own billions in Bitcoin were false. Even in his UK libel lawsuits, judges determined that he had fabricated evidence of reputational harm in an attempt to gain an advantage in court.
Today’s High Court ruling formally designates Wright as a vexatious litigant, effectively shutting down his ability to weaponize the legal system to prop up his false claims. With the courts no longer tolerating his legal maneuvers, Wright’s long-running campaign of lawsuits and deception has finally met its end.
What Happens Next?
With the General Civil Restraint Order in place, Craig Wright can no longer launch frivolous lawsuits against his critics, Bitcoin developers, or cryptocurrency businesses without judicial permission.
Furthermore, the High Court has barred him from resurrecting old cases that have already been dismissed. This means that his previous lawsuits against Coinbase, Kraken, Bitcoin Core developers, and others are permanently dead.
Wright’s courtroom losses have left him facing massive legal costs, and some of his previous targets, such as Peter McCormack and COPA, are now seeking damages from him. With most not overly confident of retrieving them. There is also a possibility of criminal proceedings given his extensive use of forged documents and perjury.
For years, Craig Wright has used the legal system as a battering ram to intimidate critics, suppress debate, and falsely claim ownership over Bitcoin. Today’s High Court ruling is a resounding rejection of his tactics and a victory for free speech and open-source development.
While Wright’s supporters may continue to insist on his legitimacy, the legal record is now undeniable
He is not Satoshi Nakamoto.
His lawsuits were fraudulent.
His litigation campaign has been shut down.
The UK courts have drawn a final line under Wright’s relentless legal crusade. Bitcoin belongs to the world, not to a fraudster.
Author Profile
- Lucy Walker covers finance, health and beauty since 2014. She has been writing for various online publications.
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