Kim Dotcom wins back cars and cash seized in Megaupload raid

[Bonsai99]

Yay! Glad to see Mr. Dotcom finally getting his stuff back. The amount of crap the US government has been pulling in this case is utterly stupid.

Kim Dotcom wins back cars and cash seized in Megaupload raid

Kim Dotcom, the multimillionaire founder of closed file-sharing site Megaupload, has won back cars, cash and property seized in a January 2012 raid.

Requests from police to extend the length of time the assets could be held were declined by a court in Auckland, New Zealand, where Mr Dotcom lives.

US authorities accuse Mr Dotcom of infringing copyright on a "massive scale".

He has also been sued by several major film and music publishers.

They accuse him of using Megaupload to encourage users to upload copyrighted material illegally - and profiting from the operation.

Kim Dotcom's mansion near Auckland, New Zealand, was raided in January 2012

'Falling apart'

Mr Dotcom, along with several associates, has denied the charges.

Since the raid, he has launched a new file storage site, Mega, as well as setting up his own political party.

Police raided the mansion of Mr Dotcom and his wife Mona two years ago, taking more than 15 luxury vehicles, including a pink 1959 Cadillac.

Mr Dotcom tweeted: "Breaking News: High Court ruling just now. Mona and I are getting our New Zealand assets back, unless the Crown appeals."

The authorities have 14 days to appeal against the decision.

Mr Dotcom added: "The NZ asset ruling is HUGE. We've just filed a case in Hong Kong against unlawful seizure of #Megaupload. The US case is falling apart!"

An extradition hearing is due to take place in July. If extradited and brought to trial, Mr Dotcom faces 20 years in prison.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/n...nology-27067102

 

 

[Almercenary]

Should of happened earlier IMO.  It seemed as though it was guilty before innocent rather than the other way.

[ThePcMasterRace]

a pink Cadillac what a badass, i personally love this dude.

[Admire]

LOLz! Brilliant. Big corporations own the US government so its no suprise that they overstepped in their desperate fight.....

 

Nice to see a justice system that doesn't just play to the tune of who has the most money.....Not like citizen united.

[Fetzie]

It'd be kind of funny if this whole lawsuit got unravelled because the MPAA was too greedy and couldn't follow due process.

[Bonsai99]

It seemed as though it was guilty before innocent rather than the other way.

Unfortunately for the most part the U.S. government are a bunch of scummy corrupt hypocrites. Atleast the New Zealand government has the balls to not just blindly complying with everything the U.S. wants them to do. Although they did listen to them in the beginning, that's how we got where we are now.

[techswede]

a pink Cadillac what a badass, i personally love this dude.

Somehow i knew he was a pink 59 kinda guy It's big round wide and essentially mega.

 

But good for him. Although part of me would like to see him lawyer up and sue for damages (i think that's the term)

[TheSLSAMG]

I am happy to see that Mr. Dotcom has gotten his stuff back, but this is not the end of the fight.

 

And fuck the US Government and the New Zealand Government for making this happen in the first place.

[Fred Castellum]

Good for him, this has been quite a long lawsuit....

[Misanthrope]

Unfortunately for the most part the U.S. government are a bunch of scummy corrupt hypocrites. Atleast the New Zealand government has the balls to not just blindly complying with everything the U.S. wants them to do. Although they did listen to them in the beginning, that's how we got where we are now.

 

Not to mention none of it it's going to matter if they honor the extradition request, which they shouldn't this is barely a crime and certainly a non-violent one but the MPAA and RIAA are going to lobby hard to get him extradited.

[Askew]

I hope his party gets elected one day.

[Almercenary]

Unfortunately for the most part the U.S. government are a bunch of scummy corrupt hypocrites. Atleast the New Zealand government has the balls to not just blindly complying with everything the U.S. wants them to do. Although they did listen to them in the beginning, that's how we got where we are now.

The whole thing is fucked. 20 years for file hosting. Either there's something being hidden, or they are trying to make an example of the wrong person.  

[Victorious Secret]

20 years for file hosting and all the piracy it led to? Really? 

 

I can go murder 10 people and get off with 2 years and community service. You think I'm kidding? I'm not. I even know the proper things to say to get myself a unfit for trial label and sit in a crazy hospital for a few months. 

 

Thats how broken the system is. Its just asking for abuse. 

 

I hope he gets it back, I hope all the cases are broken and I hope the RIAA and MPAA get the message. There is a PROPER way to enforce copyright. Not their way, not even remotely close. I'm all for fair treatment, but they are trying to act like dictators and it clearly isnt working for them

[Imaginaerum]

I can go murder 10 people and get off with 2 years and community service. You think I'm kidding? I'm not. I even know the proper things to say to get myself a unfit for trial label and sit in a crazy hospital for a few months. 

I would love to see this... When the Boston Bomber and Colorado Theater shooter can't even get the crazy label. It sounds to me like you've been watching a lot of Law and Order.

[Misanthrope]

20 years for file hosting and all the piracy it led to? Really? 

 

I can go murder 10 people and get off with 2 years and community service. You think I'm kidding? I'm not. I even know the proper things to say to get myself a unfit for trial label and sit in a crazy hospital for a few months. 

 

Thats how broken the system is. Its just asking for abuse. 

 

I hope he gets it back, I hope all the cases are broken and I hope the RIAA and MPAA get the message. There is a PROPER way to enforce copyright. Not their way, not even remotely close. I'm all for fair treatment, but they are trying to act like dictators and it clearly isnt working for them

 

Actually if I can avoid extradition I could vastly improve my lifestyle by killing somebody in Norway and serving a prison sentence on their "jails". Well maybe not something that violent, I settle for a couple of arsons of known empty and isolated locations and such.

[Victorious Secret]

I would love to see this... When the Boston Bomber and Colorado Theater shooter can't even get the crazy label. It sounds to me like you've been watching a lot of Law and Order.

 

I have a degree and a half in psych. 

 

If I'm not already mentally unhinged, I can probably get a judge and jury to believe it. You'd be surprised what a competent lawyer and psychiatrist can do if they really want to.

[Almercenary]

Somehow i knew he was a pink 59 kinda guy It's big round wide and essentially mega.

 

But good for him. Although part of me would like to see him lawyer up and sue for damages (i think that's the term)

Sue against a corrupt load of fuckers. Meh, don't think that's going to happen ever. People tried to sue over waste spillage, which badly affected there lives, in area 51 and they didn't pay for any of the medical treatment, because it 'didn't exist'.

 

 

BTW, i have an unconscious grudge on you because I hate that guy in your avatar.  Soz lol, can't help it, my brain want's to just reply to every one of your posts as, fuck you you backstabbing...sleezy...person.  I'm sure your a nice guy. 

[Imaginaerum]

I have a degree and a half in psych. 

 

If I'm not already mentally unhinged, I can probably get a judge and jury to believe it. You'd be surprised what a competent lawyer and psychiatrist can do if they really want to.

Like I said.

 

Not even Boston Bomber or Colorado Theater shooter.

[mr moose]

Whilst I don't personally agree with the this guy or what he was doing, I also really don't agree that a court or authority from another country has any right ask for extradition, if the USA don't like what he is doing on the net in another country then they can block it at their end.  If he is breaking a law in NZ then it must be dealt with in NZ.   Or alternatively if the movie industry don't want their movies pirated in another country then don't sell them to that country. 

[ohJey]

Whilst I don't personally agree with the this guy or what he was doing, I also really don't agree that a court or authority from another country has any right ask for extradition, if the USA don't like what he is doing on the net in another country then they can block it at their end.  If he is breaking a law in NZ then it must be dealt with in NZ.   Or alternatively if the movie industry don't want their movies pirated in another country then don't sell them to that country. 

He wasn't doing anything against the law.  People were using his site for pirating, he wasn't doing it.  What happened to him was bullshit

[Lyons]

He wasn't doing anything against the law.  People were using his site for pirating, he wasn't doing it.  What happened to him was bullshit

 

I'm almost definitely sure that there are laws against the enabling of criminal activity for profit. It's quite obvious that this guy was doing some very shady, let alone illegal. Just because Kim Dotcom has a 'fight the power/fuck the guberment' mentality doesn't make him a hero in any regard.

[mr moose]

He wasn't doing anything against the law.  People were using his site for pirating, he wasn't doing it.  What happened to him was bullshit

 

Oh please, he's as guilty as sin, if it wasn't for the pirates using his site it would not have earnt him millions and he knew it.  Whether you agree with piracy or not is moot, it is illegal, he knew his site was being used for it and at best he only made a token effort to stop it.  That's all there is to it. 

 

As far as the arrest goes and the way the authorities handled the case, well, that is a different story.

[afa7336]

Whats left out, of course, is its not a done deal. They can still, and probably will, appeal the decision of the Judge.

[jezza39]

I am happy to see that Mr. Dotcom has gotten his stuff back, but this is not the end of the fight.

 

And fuck the US Government and the New Zealand Government for making this happen in the first place.

 

NZ Government will be bound to an extradition treaty, they obviously won't have any wiggle room. 

 

But yeah blame the US government and their laws, paid for with 'donations' to parties

[Victorious Secret]

Was the US Gov wrong in how they enforced the laws? absolutely. The MPAA and RIAA paid well to make sure the US Gov went after Kim. 

 

But lets not get any ideas that Kim is a saviour. He lived off the avails of criminal acts. He is no saint. He did illegal shit. 

 

Its just that the Gov was more ruthless and haphazard and blatantly obvious in their MPAA/RIAA intentions, and people hate those guys even more. 

 

NZ is bound by extradition treaties. They have no choice, its how it is. Will they try to stall? Maybe. Especially if the NZ case is falling apart like it is now. Who knows.