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Megaupload's Kim Dotcom to be extradited to United States

August 15, 2024

The 50-year-old Megaupload founder is facing charges in the US over copyright infringement. While New Zealand's justice minister said Kim Dotcom would be extradited, Dotcom insists he is "not leaving" the island nation.

https://p.dw.com/p/4jVWO
Kim Dotcom during a court hearing in Auckland
The German-born tech entrepreneur is determined to stay in New Zealand, despite the order to leaveImage: Nigel Marple/REUTERS

Kim Dotcom is to be extradited to the United States, New Zealand Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said on Thursday.

German-born Dotcom is facing criminal charges relating to the now obsolete file-sharing website Megaupload. The 50-year-old has been fighting extradition to the US since 2012, after an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith signed an extradition order for Dotcom, a spokesperson for the Minister of Justice said Thursday.

"I considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial," Goldsmith said in a statement.

"As is common practice, I have allowed Mr Dotcom a short period of time to consider and take advice on my decision. I will not, therefore, be commenting further at this stage."

Dotcom makes pledge to stay in New Zealand

Dotcom took to X, however, to deny the claims of his extradiction.

"I love New Zealand. I'm not leaving," he told his followers.

US authorities say Dotcom and three other Megaupload executives cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million (€454.2 million) by encouraging paying users to store and share copyrighted material, which generated more than $175 million in revenue for the brand.

Megaupload's chief marketing officer Finn Batato and chief technical officer and co-founder Mathias Ortmann, both from Germany, along with a third executive, Dutch national Bram van der Kolk, were arrested with Dotcom back in 2012.

Born Kim Schmitz in the northern German city of Kiel, Dotcom founded Megaupload in 2005. The platform provided online file storage and viewing services and made millions from advertising and premium subscriptions.

At its peak, Megaupload was the 13th most popular website on the internet and accounted for 4% of all online traffic.

But the FBI seized the domain in 2012 and indicted Megaupload's owners for allegedly operating as an organization dedicated to copyright infringement. Dotcom, who has resided in New Zealand since 2010, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

jsi/dj (Reuters, EFE)