Kim Dotcom, Megaupload founder, loses 12-year legal battle and faces extradition to US | Science & Tech News
Kim Dotcom, the founder of the popular file-sharing site Megaupload, will be extradited to the US from New Zealand.
Originally from Germany, Dotcom has New Zealand residency and has been fighting extradition since 2012 after a raid on his Auckland mansion ordered by the FBI.
He is facing charges of copyright infringement, money laundering, and racketeering.
US authorities allege that Dotcom, also known as Kim Schmitz, along with three other Megaupload executives, caused more than $500m in losses to film studios and record companies by encouraging users to share copyrighted material on the website.
This led to over $175m in revenue for the website before it was shut down.
In a social media post, Dotcom expressed his views on the extradition decision and mentioned having a plan to address it.
New Zealand’s justice minister, Paul Goldsmith, signed the extradition order for Dotcom.
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“I considered all of the information carefully and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial,” Mr Goldsmith said in a statement.
Megaupload’s chief marketing officer Finn Batato, co-founder Mathias Ortmann, and executive Bram van der Kolk were also arrested in 2012.
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Ortmann and van der Kolk agreed to plea deals, resulting in jail sentences in New Zealand in 2023 to avoid extradition. Batato passed away in New Zealand in 2022.
