Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, continues to be the subject of mystery and fascination, 13 years after his disappearance in 2010. However, the debate around Satoshi’s real identity intensified when, in 2016, Craig Steven Wright [CSW], the Australian computer scientist, proclaimed himself to be the elusive BTC inventor and demanded intellectual rights over the Bitcoin white paper.
Since then, Wright has sued several members of the BTC fraternity, including early contributors and developers. Out of all, Wright’s main opponent is the Crypto Open Patent Alliance [COPA], a group spearheaded by Square, which took legal action against him for his copyright assertions. Amidst the ongoing COPA vs. CSW trial, an intriguing piece of detail has emerged.
A series of email conversations between British cryptographer Adam Back and Nakamoto were entered into the court records. Back’s complete email history sheds light on behind-the-scenes developments four months before its official launch.
The discussions begin with Satoshi ensuring the correct citation of Back’s “Hashcash” paper for the soon-to-be-released Bitcoin paper. Satoshi informed Back that he found a new use for hash-based proof-of-work as a way to make e-cash work.
The next email centers around Adam’s suggesting to Satoshi a paper called “B-money” by Wei Dei. Dei was a well-known cryptographer working on digital cash and is a frequently cited candidate for Satoshi. After discussing the B-money idea, Adam directs Satoshi to another paper called “Micromint.” In the final email, Satoshi thanks Adam again and lets him know about Bitcoin’s formal software release. According to Adam’s public statements, he wouldn’t look at Bitcoin again until late 2012.
Bitcoin Plot Thickens
Back has so far reportedly denied Wright’s claim to be the real Satoshi. Without directly referring to CSW, he once said, “I get a lot of emails from people claiming to be Satoshi, and I see them like Elvis impersonators. I don’t find anything they post authentic.”
On the other hand, Wright has been persistent in his attempts, despite not being able to offer conclusive proof. In Jan 2021, Wright’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist, demanding Square remove the white paper from its site. COPA challenged Wright: prove your identity as Satoshi Nakamoto, the paper’s creator, first. In response, he extended a settlement offer to the group, which was subsequently rejected by the crypto alliance.