Making a fortune from the now-shuttered file sharing site Megaupload, Kim Dotcom became one of the more flamboyant figures in the piracy world. On August 15, it was learned that New Zealand’s Justice Minister signed an extradition order to send him to the United States, where he would face charges from a 2012 indictment by the US Department of Justice. Prior attempts to extradite him had been unsuccessful, on technicalities.
As per that indictment, charges included conspiracy to commit racketeering, to commit copyright infringement, and to commit money laundering; as well as criminal copyright infringement by distributing a copyrighted work; plus multiple charges of criminal copyright infringement by electronic means and aiding and abetting of criminal copyright infringement, and wire fraud.
The defendant himself tried to position himself above the fray, posting on the X social platform:
“The US debt and money printing system is collapsing. The West is heading into an economic wasteland. The Middle East is on fire. Russia dominates Ukraine and NATO. BRICS is ending US hegemony and the fake ‘rules-based order’. US puppets are failing everywhere. Genocide, propaganda, censorship and rigged elections are the new normal. Humanity is facing the abyss as WW3 seems inevitable. Oh and the obedient US colony in the South Pacific just decided to extradite me for what users uploaded to Megaupload, unsolicited, and what copyright holders were able to remove with direct delete access instantly and without question. But who cares? That’s justice these day (sic).” – Kim Dotcom
Dotcom since stated his intention to stay in New Zealand, and that he “has a plan.”
Court documents from 2012 estimated that from 2005 until its closure, Megaupload.com had been used to “willfully reproduce and distribute many mmillions of infringing copies of copyrighted works, including motion pictures, television programs, musical recordings, e-books, images, video games and other software;” and that Kim Dotcom and his collaborators made an income “in excess of $175,000,000,” harming copyright holders to the tune of half a billion dollars.
The Megaupload site had been based in Hong Kong and operated until 2012 when it was seized by US authorities. It was re-launched in 2013 as Mega
Further reading
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signs Kim Dotcom’s extradition order. Article by Thomas Coughlan. August 15, 2024. The New Zealand Herald
Kim Dotcom to be extradited to the US. Article. by Ian Aikman. August 6, 2024. BBC News
Megaupload operator’s extradition to US delayed on a technicality in New Zealand. Article. by Steven Hawley. November 2, 2020. Piracy Monitor
United States of America vs Kim Dotcom, Megaupload Limited (and six co-defendants). Superseding Indictment. Filed February 16, 2012. Alexandria Division, US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. US Department of Justice
Why it matters
While downloads and peer-to-peer networks are no longer the dominant method of illegal distribution – and while Megaupload itself was shut down in 2012 – Kim Dotcom profited from illegally exploiting content owned by others, which amounts to theft on a massive scale.
