uploader

MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom has six months to try and create the image of himself as a legitimate businessman as well as a victim of U.S. aggression.

The U.S. Department of Justice, which has accused him of criminal copyright violations, wire fraud, and racketeering, will seek to create the perception that DotCom is a digital Genghis Khan, a convicted felon who has dedicated most of his adult life to plunder.

For DotCom, 38, and the DOJ, the public relations war is on.

In January, New Zealand police, at the request of the United States, raided DotCom's home, … Read more

As expected, the United States government has filed a request in New Zealand to extradite Kim DotCom, the founder of MegaUpload, and three associates who are also accused of criminal copyright violations.

Papers were filed with a New Zealand court today by lawyers representing the United States, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald.

DotCom was locked up in a New Zealand jail more than a month following his January 19 arrest but was released on bail nearly two weeks ago. Police raided his home and seized his assets after the United States government indicted him on criminal … Read more

Kim DotCom is out on bail and the MegaUpload founder didn't waste time before going on a public relations offensive.

For the past month, DotCom has been locked up in a New Zealand jail after being accused by the United States government of criminal copyright violations, racketeering, and money laundering. U.S. officials say that MegaUpload cost copyright owners $500 million in damages and is part of the biggest online piracy case ever. They want DotCom to stand trial in this country.

Now, in an attempt to clear his name, DotCom is doing media interviews and telling his side … Read more

MegaUpload founder and accused pirate Kim DotCom will remain free on bail until his extradition hearing in August.

A New Zealand court today rejected an appeal by government prosecutors seeking to have DotCom returned to jail as a flight risk, according to media reports out of New Zealand. DotCom, who is charged with operating one of the Web's biggest criminal copyright operations through his file-sharing site, was released on bail last week after a month in custody.

DotCom, 38, was arrested in January at the mansion he leases near Auckland, New Zealand, after the U.S. handed down an indictment … Read more

Kim DotCom, the founder of MegaUpload and accused pirate, has asked a New Zealand court to free up some of his seized assets so he and his family have money to live on, New Zealand newspapers are reporting.

The couple said they need the equivalent of $180,000 per month.

DotCom was arrested last month after being indicted by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. He was accused of criminal copyright violations, racketeering, and money laundering. The charge of wire fraud was added later.

DotCom was released last week on bail but was back in court … Read more

For decades, the U.S. government turned a blind eye to the pirating of intellectual property--and the practice helped some of the country's largest book publishers make their fortunes.

I've written a lot lately about the U.S. government's attempt to protect the country's intellectual property against overseas-based online pirates, nowhere more forcefully than in the case of MegaUpload. Last month, the U.S. government indicted Kim DotCom, MegaUpload's founder, on criminal copyright charges. He was arrested in New Zealand and U.S. officials will attempt to bring him to this country to stand trial. … Read more

MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom could be headed back to jail.

Authorities in New Zealand are expected to appeal last week's decision to release DotCom on bail, according to TVNZ. The U.S. government alleges that DotCom was operating MegaUpload as one of the Web's biggest criminal copyright operations and indicted him last month. He was arrested on January 19 and since then has remained in police custody.

We're certainly getting a lesson in the Kiwi legal system and this much is clear: their wheels of justice grind just as slowly or slower than ours. The MegaUpload piracy … Read more

Foreclosures, bankruptcies, eviction notices, and tears.

That's the picture painted Thursday in a New York Times op-ed piece about a Hollywood film industry that is supposedly "contracting."

Hilary De Vries, a screenwriter and book author, writes about how Hollywood's middle class is hurting. We're not talking Brad and Angelina or Martin Scorsese. We're talking about the guy you might remember from a soap opera or the writing team for a lesser-known sitcom. De Vries offered anecdotes about how her neighbors--several cash-strapped actors and screenwriters--have lost homes to foreclosure. She described how popular eateries are … Read more

Kim DotCom, founder of cyberlocker MegaUpload, has been released on bail, according to media reports out of New Zealand.

After DotCom was indicted in the United States for criminal copyright violations and racketeering, he was arrested last month at the mansion he leases near Auckland, New Zealand, following a sensational police raid. Millions in cash, cars, and other possessions belonging to DotCom were seized.

Since then, two judges in New Zealand had denied his previous requests for bail. The judge who heard DotCom's request today, however, decided the defendant was not enough of a flight risk to keep in … Read more