Norway's Court of Appeals rejected Craig Wright's challenge to the country's jurisdiction over his defamation case against Bitcoin analyst Hodlonaut. Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, sued Ho
Norway's Court of Appeals rejected Craig Wright's challenge to the country's jurisdiction over his defamation case against Bitcoin analyst Hodlonaut. Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, sued Hodlonaut last year after the analyst called him a "fraud" on Twitter.
Wright lost his venue challenge. He had attempted to move the case to the UK, but courts in both countries sided against him. In January, the UK High Court threw out his suit there due to insufficient jurisdiction. That same court noted that Norway had proper jurisdiction because Hodlonaut is a Norwegian citizen. The appeals court confirmed this yesterday.
The ruling carries financial consequences for Wright. He must pay all legal costs Hodlonaut incurred at both the district court and appeals level. The case now advances to trial.
Hodlonaut announced the decision on Twitter, framing it as a preliminary victory. "Norwegian Court of Appeals today handed down judgment on CSW's appeal of the December jurisdiction decision. Appeal denied. Norway has jurisdiction…. Welcome to law," he wrote. He cautioned that the jurisdiction fight was separate from the merits. "This stuff is only jurisdiction. Both Norway and UK courts have decided Norway has jurisdiction… Only after that the real case starts," Hodlonaut said.
When asked whether the battle was over, Hodlonaut predicted Wright would continue fighting. "He will likely try to appeal this to the supreme court," he replied.
Wright's preference for UK courts likely stems from that country's more forgiving defamation standards, which some observers believe work in his favor. His case against Hodlonaut is one of dozens he filed in the past two years. Beyond his prominent dispute with Dave Kleiman, Wright has taken multiple prominent cryptocurrency figures to court for questioning his Satoshi claims. He has not won any of those suits.
