Craig Wright v. Peter McCormack: Judge Rules McCormack Should Pay Around $1.1M in Costs

Bitcoiner and podcaster Peter McCormack should pay Craig Wright, the Australian scientist who claims to be Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto, around 900,000 British pounds (US$1.1 million) in costs following their legal battle, U.K. High Court Judge Martin Chamberlain has ruled.

Wright had argued that McCormack should pay the majority of costs for the legal proceedings, but accepted paying all McCormack's costs save for those ruled in Wright's favor.

The costs ruled in Wright's favor relate to an earlier judgment from October last year, finding that McCormack could not prove that he was telling the truth when he labeled the Wright a fraud.

The two men's legal battle emanated from a 2019 discussion – subsequently broadcast on YouTube – in which McCormack called Wright a liar and a fraud and said he "is not Satoshi." Wright claimed that such comments caused him financial damage after he was disinvited to speak at various events and conferences.

The judge concluded in August that Wright had advanced false evidence in his claim, and therefore awarded him only nominal damages of one pound ($1.23). In his final judgment, Chamberlain refused Wright's permission to appeal this decision.

The judge also did not grant Wright's request for an injunction to be made against McCormack repeating these claims.

Craig Wright has been involved in a string of legal battles surrounding his claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, of whom nobody knows the true identity. Nakamoto published the Bitcoin white paper in 2008 and released the first version of its software the following year, before fading from the community in subsequent years.

Read more: Bitcoin.org's 'Cøbra' Must Unmask to Challenge Craig Wright's Legal Costs, UK Court Rules