In 2012, the legal battle with the United States began over Megaupload, a site that hosts pirated movies. The charges relate to copyright infringement, money laundering and criminal conspiracy. Now, the executive order from New Zealand’s justice minister has arrived.
This is how one ends up. A long escape of twelve years. Permanent escape, in New Zealand, where Kim Dot Com Found today. A little longer.
Now the United States has approval.German computer scientist handed overThe green light came directly from the justice minister of the country that has hosted him since 2010, but on X (formerly Twitter) the digital entrepreneur had his say on the case that concerns him: “I love New Zealand, and I’m not leaving,” he wrote, accompanied by a kiss emoji. We’ll soon see if the creator of the Download Megathe online service that allowed Upload photos and videos, even those protected by copyright, He will be able to avoid extradition despite reaching the final stage of the trial.
Megaupload Birth and Closure
The story of Kim Dotcom (his surname in the German registry office is Schmitz, but he legally changed it in 2005) begins more than twenty years ago, when he founded Megaupload, a company Hosting and file sharing Which quickly proved to be a useful tool for sharing copyrighted material.
So Megaupload has seen many people pass through its pages for many years. Movies, TV series and picturesThe site has become 13th most visited in the world During the period of maximum popularity.
It is estimated that with the distribution Pirates movie On Megaupload, movie and recording companies can own He lost the equivalent of 450 million euros..
In 2012, the US seized the domain and thus shut down the site (which relaunched the following year with a New Zealand-based domain). That same year, lawsuits were filed against Dotcom not only for copyright infringement, but also for copyright infringement. Money laundering and criminal conspiracyBut even then the computer scientist and businessman was in New Zealand, where he had obtained residency.
The Dot Com Legal Case
The geographical distance did not deter American justice, which also pursued Kim Dotcom in New Zealand. Here the FBI conducted a raid his house Just outside Oakland, where he seized millions of dollars worth of assets (including eighteen luxury cars) and Dotcom himself was arrested.who was taken to a New Zealand prison (only to be released on bail).
Delivery approved in 2017 It was upheld by a local court and then confirmed the following year on appeal. In 2020, the New Zealand High Court also upheld the decision. Courts, but it has only just arrived now. final green light Justice Secretary Paul Goldsmith, who Sign the executive order To extradite criminals.
The Distressed Digital Entrepreneur's Response
Two of Megaupload's top executives, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, have agreed to a deal in 2023 and that's why they were He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison.. But in this way they avoided extradition. However, it is possible that Dotcom will be escorted on a direct flight to the United States very soon.
Su X has already started attacking the authorities, but that's not all. According to Dotcom, his case is linked to Julian Assange's case. “It all started because I became a big donor to Wikileaks“The moment I got out on bail, I created Mega and sent the first $100,000 I earned to WikiLeaks,” he writes on the social network. I would do it all again. The criminal US government can go to hell,” he added in a later tweet, adding that “they have One thing in common with Trump.” That is, being “persecuted by corrupt agents in the Justice Department under Joe Biden.”
“Reader. Travel maven. Student. Passionate tv junkie. Internet ninja. Twitter advocate. Web nerd. Bacon buff.”
