Kim Dotcom, the founder of the defunct filesharing website Megaupload, is set to be extradited to the US after years of legal battles. New Zealand Justice Minister, Paul Goldsmith, has signed an extradition order for Dotcom, who has been fighting the extradition since 2012 when his mansion was raided by the FBI.
The extradition order comes after multiple court rulings in New Zealand found that Dotcom could be extradited to face charges in the US for copyright infringement, money laundering, and racketeering. Dotcom has argued that he should not be held liable for copyright infringement carried out by users of his site, as New Zealand law exempts ISPs from criminal liability for user actions.
US authorities claim that Dotcom and other Megaupload executives cost film studios and record companies hundreds of millions of dollars by encouraging users to share copyrighted material on the website. The site, which was based in Hong Kong, was shut down in 2012 by the US, but later relaunched as Mega.
Dotcom, a German-born resident of New Zealand, has been fighting extradition alongside Megaupload executives Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann, and Bram van der Kolk. Ortmann and Van der Kolk entered plea deals and were sentenced in New Zealand, while Batato passed away. Dotcom’s extradition marks a significant development in the long-standing legal battle surrounding Megaupload’s operations.
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