Kim Dotcom released from custody
Megaupload founder Kim Schmitz, alias Kim Dotcom, has been released from custody. A New Zealand judge ruled that he was not a flight risk as his assets had been frozen.
Schmitz also had an interest in remaining in New Zealand because of his family, argued Judge Nevin Dawson according to SDA. As a condition, the 38-year-old is not allowed to use the internet and must remain in his property in Auckland. Schmitz's lawyer, Paul Davison, said his client was determined to continue fighting the US charges. These have "no substantive basis whatsoever".
Three other people responsible for the now closed online storage service who were arrested together with Schmitz had already been released earlier. The four had been arrested by the New Zealand police on January 20 at the request of the US authorities for Internet piracy.
The judge's decision on Wednesday is a setback for the US judiciary, which is demanding the extradition of the four people responsible for Megaupload. In the current proceedings in New Zealand, extradition to the USA is to be heard from August 20. The hearing is expected to last three weeks. If Schmitz, who comes from Kiel, is brought before a US court, the former internet hacker could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The USA accuses those responsible for Megaupload of having turned the platform, which has since been shut down, into one of the largest hubs for illegal copies of films and music. The rights holders have suffered damages of more than 500 million dollars as a result. The defendants deny the allegations. Megaupload was an online storage platform for all types of files. Anyone who uploaded a video, for example, received a link with which it could be accessed. This mechanism was often used to distribute illegal copies of new movies or music albums.
Schmitz and his managers claim to have taken the usual measures against abuse and online piracy, similar to the Google video service YouTube. The US investigators, on the other hand, accuse the Megaupload operators of not only tolerating the practice, but also favoring it and profiting from it.
