The very fact that he changed his name from Kim Schmitz to Kim Dotcom says everything about the life and times of well, Kim Dotcom. This is a man who has attracted the attention of US authorities for the last five years after his Megaupload filesharing website was closed down. The US authorities filed charges of conspiracy, racketeering and money laundering against Kim Dotcom and three of his colleagues. The fact that he lives in New Zealand has frustrated the US authorities and the extradition process has been painfully slow to say the least. However, is Kim Dotcom now on his way to the US to finally face the music?
Extradition request granted
There have been many court cases over the years and indeed at one point Kim Dotcom was arrested by the New Zealand authorities only to be released on bail. The array of charges which Kim Dotcom and his colleagues face could see them facing decades in prison if they were proven in the US. Therefore, it is no surprise to learn that the party are fighting tooth and nail to avoid extradition to the US where their case already seems to be a done deal.
Those who follow Kim Dotcom will be well aware that his Megaupload website was a filesharing service – one of many that have attracted the attention of governments around the world. The US authorities believe that the Megaupload website created at least $175 million in income by encouraging users to illegally download songs, television shows and movies. Despite the fact that the case is still ongoing, the New Zealand authorities decided the extradition request could go ahead as far back as 2015.
Conspiracy seems to be the key
While there is no doubt that filesharing websites have come under attack from authorities and copyright holders around the world, this particular issue with Kim Dotcom seems to centre round conspiracy to profit from copyright infringement. The suggestion is that intercepted communications between the four parties “confirm” they were talking about being “modern day pirates” and “evil”. One of the main points brought up by lawyers representing Kim Dotcom is the idea that the case should have been heard in the civil courts because the owners of Megaupload cannot be held responsible for how others use the website.
The issue of copyright infringement has been a major problem since the Internet basically became part of our everyday lives. Copyrighted material is illegally shared each and every day on a regular basis and the authorities are literally chasing their tails. However, the US authorities seem to have their teeth into the Kim Dotcom issue as we move towards the New Zealand Supreme Court.
Where will this all end?
For five years the US government has been pursuing Kim Dotcom and his colleagues after closing down their filesharing website. It is obvious that the four people in question have received significant wealth because of their filesharing business but have they actually broken the law? If you give somebody a tool are you liable if they use that tool for legal purposes? This particular issue has opened up a whole array of complicated legal issues and while the next stop would appear to be the New Zealand Supreme Court, who knows when this case will end?