
Self-Described Bitcoin Creator Craig Wright Sues a Podcaster for Libel - pseudolus
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-18/self-described-bitcoin-creator-wright-sues-a-podcaster-for-libel
======
tlrobinson
> 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?

~~~
urbanriv
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.

~~~
mrb
" _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".

~~~
tlrobinson
Wouldn't that require proving that Satoshi owns the Bitcoin he is suspected to
have mined?

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pseudolus
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...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Archer#Perjury_trial_and_imprisonment)

~~~
ericb
> 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://twitter.com/PeterMcCormack/status/1119027048805208064)

[https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/bdxkii/the_fraud_c...](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/bdxkii/the_fraud_continues_craig_wright_just_purposely/)

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

[https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Craig_Wright](https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Craig_Wright)

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

~~~
intertextuality
I would prefer that it stayed that way. Most cryptocurrencies _are_ vaporware.

~~~
sparkie
All cryptocurrencies (except Bitcoin) are idiotware. Bitcoin was built on the
idea of sound money - as a fix for the serious problem of inflation. Other
"cryptocurrencies" are pro-inflation by design. They're based on the idea that
"everyone can print money," by simply redefining a few constants and
recompiling the code. Their proponents see this as pro-freedom, but free money
is worthless money. "Cryptocurrencies" are anti-bitcoin, and have a worse
inflation problem than the fiat which only bitcoin provides the fix for, and
only bitcoin _can_ provide the fix for, because you can't invent the wheel
twice.

You can improve upon the design of the wheel. You do this by improving Bitcoin
without reintroducing inflation.

~~~
littlestymaar
Bitcoin was built with a really narrow ideological view of money (that limited
supply of money is good) built on a fallacy (that current money is fake money
created by governments, when in reality it's created by the banking system
through credit). It's not “sound money” it's more like «libertarian dream
money», and so far it failed at becoming a money (e.g. something you would buy
stuff with), because of the scarcity, which leads to automatic deflation.

~~~
mrb
" _so far it failed at becoming a money_ "

Bitpay (one of the largest Bitcoin payment processors in the world) processed
a record $1 billion in transactions in 2018. This impressive increase of
people using Bitcoin to buy real-world products and services shows Bitcoin is
doing very well as "money":
[https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005701/en/Bit...](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190116005701/en/BitPay-
Sees-Record-Year-Revenue-2018-1)

~~~
shkkmo
1 billion is what, about 1% of supply of bitcoin? So less than that since this
includes bitcoin cash as well?

> In the past year, the BitPay wallet added integrations with major gift card
> brands, enabling users to buy gift cards in-app for travel, food, and
> shopping with Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

They don't break out what types of goods/services are being purchased. I
wonder to what percentage of their transaction are being used to sell /
launder bitcoins associated with illegal activity by buying gift cards that
can then be resold.

~~~
intertextuality
Not sure why you're being downvoted here; I also would like to see a breakdown
of what people are actually buying with bitcoin thru BitPay. To this day I
still don't know anyone in real life who actually uses it over any other
payment method.

~~~
Ibethewalrus
My 2c: its the 2-3 whales controlling 90%, just bouncing coins around. Hoping
to build hype again

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WhiteOwlLion
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.

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

