An Australian computer scientist who claims to have invented bitcoin is facing contempt of court accusations following the filing of a £911 million ($1.18 billion) lawsuit in the UK against

Jack Dorsey’s payments company, Block.

Craig Wright, who has claimed to be the author of bitcoin’s foundational white paper under the pseudonym "Satoshi Nakamoto," has faced skepticism. A court previously ruled there was "overwhelming evidence" that he did not write the 2008 document.

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA) launched legal action to prevent Wright from suing bitcoin developers. After a trial at London’s High Court, a judge concluded in May that Wright had lied "extensively and repeatedly" and had forged documents "on a grand scale."

In July, the judge referred Wright to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider prosecuting him for perjury and issued an injunction prohibiting him from filing further lawsuits based on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto.

Wright, who denies forging documents, is appealing the ruling, although no decision has been made yet on whether his appeal will proceed. At a preliminary hearing on Friday, COPA’s lawyer, Jonathan Hough, argued that Wright breached the injunction by filing a lawsuit against Square Up Europe Limited, a subsidiary of Block.

Appearing via videolink from Singapore without legal representation, Wright said, "I do not believe I am in contempt." He added that if found in contempt, he would be willing to amend the lawsuit to clarify that it does not pertain to his claim of creating bitcoin.

A hearing to determine whether Wright is in contempt will take place in December, and his lawsuit against Block has been paused until then. Photo by AntanaCoins, Wikimedia commons.