Key takeaways:
- The UK Supreme Court rejected Craig Wright’s appeal in his libel case against podcaster Peter McCormack.
- Wright’s lawyers unsuccessfully appealed the nominal damages ruling twice before the Supreme Court’s denial.
In a recent development in the ongoing legal saga involving Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor, the UK Supreme Court has denied his appeal in the case against podcaster Peter McCormack.
Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin, was previously awarded a nominal compensation of £1 in July for a libel claim against McCormack.
Rupert Cowper-Coles, a partner at law firm RPC representing McCormack, confirmed the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that they had recently learned of it. He remarked, “So they’re very pleased that the judgement stands – [the] one pound nominal damages award, which Craig has tried to appeal twice unsuccessfully.”
This ruling signifies the conclusion of a protracted legal battle, with judges determining that there were no arguable legal questions remaining. For McCormack and his legal team, the judgement unequivocally refutes Wright’s assertions regarding his role in Bitcoin’s development.
Simultaneously, in another ongoing lawsuit, Wright extended a proposed settlement to defendants accused of infringing on his Bitcoin intellectual property rights. The defendants, comprising crypto companies and protocol developers united under the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA), promptly rejected Wright’s offer.
Allegations against Wright include claims of forging critical documents presented as evidence in lawsuits against Bitcoin developers, most of whom are affiliated with COPA. Members such as Coinbase and Kraken argue that Wright manipulated evidence to support his claims.
In response, the Jack Dorsey-funded group is countersuing Wright, detailing allegations of forgery in a 38-page court filing. Among these accusations is the claim that Wright submitted a file as evidence, purportedly a Bitcoin whitepaper, which upon examination reveals edited and misplaced pixels.
Wright has encountered challenges in his libel cases against prominent figures in the crypto industry, including Roger Ver and Vitalik Buterin. He has concentrated much of his litigation efforts in the UK, where standards for proving libel are lower compared to the US, and plaintiffs receive favorable treatment regarding attorneys’ fees even if they do not prevail.
The denial of Wright’s appeal by the UK Supreme Court marks a significant milestone in his legal battles, underscoring the resilience of McCormack and his allies against Wright’s assertions and legal maneuvers within the crypto community.
