Kim Dotcom's extradition hearing has begun in New Zealand. It is expected to take 4 weeks. It's being heard together with the extradition requests for his MegaUpload partners, Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann, and Bram van der Kolk. [More...]
If you don't remember how big Megaupload was, at one time it had 50 million users a day and comprised 4% of the Internet.
Kim Dotcom's lawyer says New Zealand's copyright law provides a safe harbour for his client which should end the United States' extradition bid....Ron Mansfield said Megaupload was effectively an internet service provider and as such, under the Copyright Act, could not be prosecuted. It was the first time the issue had been raised in reference to Dotcom's cas
Plenty has happened to the flamboyant 41-year-old playboy since his dramatic arrest in 2012. He’s launched a political career, made forays into the music industry and endured a high-profile separation from his wife, all the while crusading for his innocence and internet freedom.
Opinions are split over whether Dotcom is an internet criminal or a fearless freedom fighter. But what is undeniable is that even in the midst of a protracted legal battle, he has been far from boring.
Taxpayers have invested a "colossal" 29,344 hours of legal work into the Megaupload and Kim Dotcom legal cases - equivalent to $5.8 million in fees, the Crown Law Office has confirmed.
Of that, two-thirds of the hours have gone into the extradition request from the United States - ....It has been 1337 days since the January 2012 raid saw the arrest of Dotcom and three others at the request of the United States on charges of criminal copyright violations. The charges related to the operation of the filesharing website Megaupload.
My opinion: This case is a colossal waste of money and resources of two countries. This should be a civil case between Hollywood and MegaUpload. Having our Government intervene as a lackey for the Hollywood studios and attempt to tear these men from their lives and families while at the same time freezing their funds so they can't properly match the resources used against them is just plain wrong and unfair.
You can follow Kim Dotcom's tweets about the trial @kimdotcom. He's also got an entertaining website about the case here.
My 70 plus posts about the case are accessible here.