Hodlonaut, a pseudonymous Norwegian bitcoiner, and self-proclaimed bitcoin inventor Craig Wright had their first day in Norwegian court.
Magnus Granath (aka Hodlonaut) began tweeting that Wright was a fraud in 2019, saying that he could not create a bitcoin pseudonym, Satoshi Nakamoto. Now, Grenath (aka Hodlonaut) is a plaintiff in a court case that will decide whether his claims to freedom of expression hold water under Norwegian law, following a 2019 tweet.
On September 12, 2022, Hodlonaut’s lawyer Arjan Salvesen Haukas made the opening statement to Judge Helen Engebrigtsen. He explained Wright’s lack of connection to bitcoin, and then presented documents from Wright’s previous legal battles. Granath’s lawyer also pointed to some of Wright’s tweets that were inconsistent with Nakamoto’s thinking.
Mary Björk Myklebust is another attorney on Grenath’s legal team. She also showed the judge that tweets similar to Hodlonaut’s original #CraigWrightIsAFraud existed prior to 2019. Myklebust pointed out that if Wright had suffered reputational damage, it could not have started with Grenath’s tweet.
Wright is on a battlefield to silence anyone who refutes his claim to the bitcoin throne. Recently he clashed with podcaster Peter McCormack. A judge ruled that McCormack’s comments caused substantial damage to Wright’s reputation, but awarded only £1 in damages to Wright for deliberately pursuing a false case with false evidence.
how did we get here
Granath has received huge support from the crypto community as Wright tweeted after Grenath claimed that Wright was a fraud.
After Hodlonaut’s initial tweets, right reacted Sending lawyers to request that Hodlonaut remove the tweets, apologize to Wright, and tell the court that Wright was Nakamoto.
Hodlonaut sought legal advice and later filed suit Against Wright in Norway, saying his tweets were protected by freedom of expression. After unsuccessfully filing for a premature termination of proceedings in Norway, Wright filed a defamation suit against Hodlonaut in the UK. Adverse costs are paid to the opposing party in connection with a court proceeding and may include fees, expenses and remuneration.
Despite attempts by Wright to dismiss the proceedings, the Norwegian trial was allowed to proceed.
The court will hear the statements of nine of Wright’s lawyers on September 13, 2022.
Hodlonaut supporters are not optimistic
Wright’s controversial record has bitcoiners scrambling for cover for fear that he may be next on their hit list. According to bitcoin developer Greg Maxwell, at least four long-running developers have left their jobs.
Maxwell is not optimistic about Hodlonaut’s chances of winning as Wright has little to lose.
Hodlonaut’s supporters, despite raising $1.5 million, also doubt that Hodlonaut’s victory will deter Wright.
The case is expected to last for seven days.
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