Megaupload creator Kim Dotcom to be extradited to US from New Zealand
2 Min Read
Washington claims that by encouraging users to share pirated content, Dotcom and three other Megaupload administrators caused more than $500 million in harm to record labels and film studios.
-
In this Monday, August 4, 2014 photo, indicted Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, center, speaks at a political rally, in Wellington, New Zealand. (AP)
After a 10-year legal fight, the government of New Zealand signed extradition orders for Kim Dotcom, the inventor of Megaupload, paving the door for his prosecution in the United States.
The online entrepreneur has been accused by the US of a number of crimes, including conspiracy to conduct copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering. Dotcom has maintained that his business is not responsible for the actions of its users.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said on Thursday, "I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr. Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial," adding, "As is common practice, I have allowed Mr Dotcom a short period of time to consider and take advice on my decision. I will not, therefore, be commenting further at this stage."
Earlier this week, Dotcom posted on X, presumably aware of the decision, saying, "The obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload."
Fun fact: Israel, Ukraine and the CIA operate the 3 largest bot nets on X. They have been spamming the replies to my posts to celebrate the extradition decision. It makes me happy. It means that my content has irritated them enormously. Thanks for letting me know. More to come 😘
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 15, 2024
The tech executive, who was born in Germany, founded Megaupload in 2005 and relocated to New Zealand in 2010. The website, which made it simple for users to upload and distribute content, was eventually seized by the FBI in 2012.
Washington has claimed that by encouraging users to share pirated content, Dotcom and three other Megaupload administrators caused more than $500 million in harm to record labels and film studios.
Dotcom has been a vocal supporter of free expression online and the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange. The accusations leveled against him have been characterized as "weaponized lawfare" and "politically motivated."
Dotcom contended in 2017 that regulations in New Zealand expressly state that a platform cannot be prosecuted for the conduct of its users.
Dotcom referred to the 2020 court decision as "a mixed bag," since it limited the four defendants' ability to be extradited to face copyright infringement charges rather than money laundering allegations.
In order to escape extradition, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, two of the defendants, made plea agreements with the government of New Zealand. In 2023, they received prison sentences. Finn Batato, the chief marketing officer and the fourth executive passed away in 2022.
