Self-Described Bitcoin Creator Craig Wright Sues a Podcaster for Libel

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-18/self-described-bitcoin-creator-wright-sues-a-podcaster-for-libel

by pseudolus • 7 years ago

45 48 7 years ago

tlrobinson3• 7 years ago

The controversial digital-asset entrepreneur filed a claim in a British court on Wednesday, accusing podcaster Peter McCormack of writing a libelous series of tweets about him in March and April over Wright’s claim that he developed Bitcoin under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

So does Craig Wright need to prove he's Satoshi in order to win a libel case against someone who says he's not Satoshi?

littlestymaar8• 7 years ago

I dont known, but under certain jurisdictions he could lose even if he was Satoshi and able to prove it, just because his attempt to prove he was satoshi was incredibly suspicious.

But he isn't anyway, so I really hope this fraudster loses.

urbanriv• 7 years ago

Didn't Liberace sue a newspaper for libel when they said he was gay... and then win.

I do not know why anyone gives this guy the time of day. There is a way to indisputably prove if he is satoshi and it is the one thing he will not do.

It is like if I start telling everyone the Lamborghini in the parking lot is mine, and they ask me to turn it on, and I spend the next 4 years arguing that it is mine instead of just turning it on.

Although maybe if I do turn it on I trigger a massive tax bill, in which case I should have never said it was mine in the first place.

tlrobinson3• 7 years ago

It is like if I start telling everyone the Lamborghini in the parking lot is mine, and they ask me to turn it on, and I spend the next 4 years arguing that it is mine instead of just turning it on.

I'm not sure if you were intentionally referring to the incident where Craig Wright rented a Lamborghini and claimed it was his, but if not that's hilarious... https://twitter.com/DanDarkPill/status/1105082100372393987

Lazare• 7 years ago

Didn't Liberace sue a newspaper for libel when they said he was gay... and then win.

Yes. However, then as now, the truth is an absolute defence to a claim of defamation. Had they shown that Liberace was gay, they'd have won the trial.

The issue was that the newspaper in question (the Mirror) never tried to claim that Liberace was actually gay; instead they tried to claim that when they wrote that he was "a deadly, winking, sniggering, snuggling, chromium-plated, scent-impregnated, luminous, quivering, giggling, fruit-flavoured, mincing, ice-covered heap of mother love" that the word "fruit" was not a reference to the then-common slang term for homosexuals, but was just, you know...a word. And that the journalist who wrote it has no idea that the slang term even existed, and in any case whatever was written was just the jounalist's opinion, and shouldn't have been interpreted as a statement of fact, since, obviously, the author didn't really think Liberace was gay.

It wasn't a very good defence, and the jury didn't buy it.

mrb2• 7 years ago

"trigger a massive tax bill"

This shouldn't deter him from conclusively proving he is Satoshi. His mere oral claim that he is Satoshi should trigger a massive tax bill anyway. He can't both claim to the world he is Satoshi while telling his tax authority "actually I'm just lying, don't tax me".

ksaj• 7 years ago

The real Satoshi posted the word "nour" followed by Wright spouting off in Arabic. So now he's at least proven that he actively monitor's Satoshi's account, and can use Google Search and Google Translate to create a "coincidental" response.

Real proof would have been posting in the opposite order - Craig first, followed by Satoshi. Or even easier, Satoshi could have just posted "Craig" instead of Nour. So easy... this is all such a game to play.

aey2• 7 years ago

I find it fascinating that there is a 5 day lag of crypto news to hacker news. I wonder if it’s possible to track this lag across a wide range of industries and information outlets.

iamwil• 7 years ago

Half of HN believes cryptocurrencies are a scam, so it's natural they don't track it as closely.

intertextuality4• 7 years ago

I would prefer that it stayed that way. Most cryptocurrencies are vaporware.

carnagii• 7 years ago

only half? I hope the percentage is higher than that.

existencebox• 7 years ago

As a hobby, I'm actually tracking precisely this sort of question, as well as similar social-structural considerations like "can you create generic models for rampup and dropoff of notable event discussion proliferation/viral events."

Obviously I know the r/bitcoin and friends, but I also know they're broadly gutted whenever they're mentioned in polite company. What would you list as representative or reliable sources of crypto news?

ikeboy• 7 years ago

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday and the article is from yesterday.

The news a week ago was the threat of a lawsuit, which was submitted to HN but didn't get traction - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19644405

pseudolus• 7 years ago

Interesting that he would sue in a jurisdiction that follows the "English Rule" where the loser pays the winner's legal fees. Also, he's suing in a jurisdiction that appears to have much less reticence to jail parties for perjured testimony - Jeffrey Archer (a former MP, member of the House of Lords and well known author) was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for perjured testimony arising from a libel suit [0].

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Archer#Perjury_trial_a...

ericb• 7 years ago

sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for perjured testimony

Craig Wright submitted a document with a fake timestamp to the court, then had to withdraw it.

https://twitter.com/PeterMcCormack/status/111902704880520806...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/bdxkii/the_fraud_c...

htk• 7 years ago

For those who haven't been following Craig Wright's (mis)steps:

https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Craig_Wright

WhiteOwlLion• 7 years ago

I'm glad all the exchanges are delisting Bitcoin SV and the value of it will crash to nothing with no trade volume. First he wants to reward individuals for doxing someone and now this. He deserves what's coming to him. Trolls need to be banished.

davidmott_• 7 years ago

Mr Wright does nothing good for Bitcoin. A complete distraction to the innovation of the Cryptocurrency/Blockchain market.

Self-Described Bitcoin Creator Craig Wright Sues a Podcaster for Libel

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