In a landmark decision, the High Court of the United Kingdom has enacted a World Freezing Order against the assets of computer scientist and businessman Craig Wright. This ruling, disclosed in legal documents on July 5, aims to assist podcast host and entrepreneur Peter McCormack in recovering approximately 1.5 million British pounds ($1.9 million) in legal fees, following a libel lawsuit initiated by Wright in 2019.

Efforts to obtain comments from McCormack were unsuccessful at the time of publication.

Craig Wright vs. Peter McCormack: The Legal Saga

The protracted legal conflict between Wright and McCormack originated from several tweets and a YouTube video in which McCormack accused Wright of falsely claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. Wright’s assertion of this identity, first made in 2016, formed the foundation of multiple lawsuits he filed against 13 Bitcoin Core developers, alleging they infringed upon his copyrights related to the Bitcoin white paper and certain aspects of the decentralized protocol.

Court Rules Wright Is Not Satoshi Nakamoto

The Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), representing several defendants in Wright’s lawsuits, presented over 50 pieces of evidence accusing Wright of forgery. COPA’s attorneys argued, “He [Wright] has fabricated an entire biographical narrative, producing numerous forged documents to support his claims.”

After thoroughly examining the evidence, the court determined that Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto. This ruling not only ended the intellectual property dispute but also had significant implications for the broader Bitcoin ecosystem.

Legal Vindication and Compensation

Judge James Mellor’s decisive ruling, which established the falsehood of Wright’s claims of being Bitcoin’s inventor, provided the legal basis for absolving McCormack of defamation charges and entitled him to legal compensation.

This case underscores the importance of substantiating claims with credible evidence, particularly when such assertions have far-reaching consequences in the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency landscape. The High Court’s ruling reaffirms the necessity of integrity and transparency within the industry, ensuring that justice prevails over fraudulent claims.