RT reports that
Kim Dotcom can have seized assets returned New Zealand High Court
The New Zealand High Court has ruled that Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom can be reunited with millions of dollars, property, cars, and artwork. It comes after the court denied an application by the Crown to extend the freezing of Dotcom's fortune. The application to continue the freeze on his assets was made on behalf of the United States, which wants to extradite and prosecute Dotcom for money laundering, online piracy, and conspiracy to commit piracy.
Gapes managed to successfully oppose the application by arguing that the original order was made on the back of a criminal jurisdiction prosecution, whereas the extension application was based on a "future action for civil forfeiture." The Criminal Proceeds Act allows extensions only on duration - not on new grounds, said Gapes.
Recording studios and movie labels have recently filed several civil law suits against the internet tycoon in the US. Earlier this month, six major Hollywood studios opened a huge lawsuit against Kim Dotcom and his colleagues. Among them are film giants 20th Century Fox, Disney, and Paramount. He was also sued earlier this month by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which alleged that he profited massively from the copyright infringement of music.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Nerdfest on Thursday April 17 2014, @11:08PM
I assume they mean "conspiracy to violate copyright". Unbelievable that they were even able to seize assets for that in the first place for a foreign country. It ain't just the us that's an oligarchy.
(Score: 2) by snick on Thursday April 17 2014, @11:35PM
When I was in NZ a few years ago, they seemed really proud of telling the US navy to go fsck themselves [wikipedia.org]
As an american, I really wish that more countries would tell us to sod off.
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(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 17 2014, @11:18PM
New Zealand never should have been pressured like it was in this case.
In this particular case US should have valued the integrity of its relationship with New Zealand more highly than the small interest of its entertainment industry.
The case against Dotcom was always stupid - his company hosted data, it was his users who violated copyright. The stain on NZ's sovereignty and the bad blood this (should) create between NZ & US law enforcement is a greater penalty than a Dotcom win could have ever been.
(Score: 3, Informative) by AnythingGoes on Friday April 18 2014, @04:59AM
It extends all the way to the FBI/three letter agencies who think that only US laws matter, and the laws of every other country are unimportant.
Has the FBI ever apologized for this whole incident or even admitted to any fault, even when clearly breaching the law of NZ when they made copies of the disks seized and moved them out of country?
Dotcom accuses FBI of 'illegal act' [nzherald.co.nz]
If another country's agents had done that to a court in the US, US citizens would be up in arms about how "our national sovereignty is being taken for granted and demanded that the military invade that nation?" (of course, most of them would not understand the word "sovereignty" or even find their own country on an atlas, but that is a different matter)
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 18 2014, @11:31AM
or even find their own country on an atlas
It happens to the best of us sometimes. Looking in an atlas usually fixes the problem.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 18 2014, @02:30PM
No such thing honey, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FVEY [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Friday April 18 2014, @04:18PM
They should totally make a movie about Kim Dotcom's life. But who'd make it? And would it be pirated?