The experts on LaTeX
COPA’s expert on LaTeX was Mr Arthur Rosendahl, and Dr Wright’s expert was Mr Lynch.
In their Joint Statement (served 22 January 2024), they agreed that:
The White Paper was not written in LaTeX but in OpenOffice 2.4 (a finding consistent with the metadata of the public Bitcoin White Paper versions).
The main.tex file identified by Dr Wright as producing a replica of the White Paper does not do so, instead exhibiting substantial discrepancies from it.
Reverse engineering the Bitcoin White Paper into LaTeX source code to make something superficially similar is not too difficult.
Dr Wright’s LaTeX file only produces a PDF copy at all resembling the White Paper because it uses software not available in 2008/9.
After their Joint Statement, Mr Rosendahl served his second report (on 12 February 2024) to address two sets of metadata information and their associated files, which related to the project editing history of the LaTeX files he had analysed in his first report.
As I have related, Dr Wright did not rely on Mr Lynch’s evidence. Mr Rosendahl came to London to be cross-examined in person. He is obviously extremely knowledgeable about LaTeX and he gave his evidence carefully, precisely and with obvious honesty. He was an ideal expert witness.
Although Dr Wright jettisoned Dr Placks and Mr Lynch as witnesses, I am grateful to them for their work. I should add I have no reason to conclude that they acted other than entirely in accordance with their duties as experts to be objective and independent. Both made and agreed findings adverse to Dr Wright and (although it does not matter for any of my conclusions) it is likely that their objective and independent approaches were the very reason why Dr Wright jettisoned their evidence.