Defamation Trial Commences in Norway

The Hodlonaut vs. Craig Wright defamation trial has commenced in Norway. The showdown in Oslo will decide whether Holdlonaut’s tweets about Dr. Wright being a fraud falls under “freedom of speech.”

The fiasco started in 2019 when Hodlonaut, also called Magnus Granath, disputed Craig Wright’s claims of being Satoshi Nakamura, Bitcoin’s creator. The Bitcoiner tweeted about it, stating that Dr. Wright was a scammer and a fraud.

Later, Hodlonaut stated the case in Norway to rule that the tweets fall under the right of freedom of speech. The primary motive behind the filing was to stop Craig Wright from proceeding with the defamation suit filed in the UK.

The legal team for Hodlonaut established a timeline and laid the background around the claims made by Dr. Wright. The team, led by MarieBjork Myklebust, claimed that thousands of users have also similarly questioned Dr. Wright’s claims.

In addition, Dr. Wright has also used strong statements and words, including remarks like losers, scum, frauds, and soy boys. On the other hand, Craig’s lawyers stated Craig Wright would not be showing any cryptographic proof of being Satoshi.

The Australian computer scientist has chosen a team of nine lawyers to handle the case. Halvor Manshaus, the lead attorney, said that proving Wright’s ownership of Satoshi’s private keys would not be enough.

Craig Wright believes that with a private key, one block or other cannot be considered conclusive evidence of him being Satoshi. That needs multiple elements, the complete package, added Manshaus. The evidence offered to District Court Judge includes previous trial documents of Kleiman V Wright and the documents which are derive from his legal trouble with the Australian Tax in 2015.

The lawyer also discussed the 106 article – The Satoshi Affair, saying that Wright has struggled with extreme exhaustion and emotional pain with the burden of proving his identity.

On the other hand, many also believe that Hodlonaut is defending the Bitcoin community in this case. The trial has been full of controversies, and its conclusion will impact the industry significantly.