In a New Zealand court on Monday, after nearly four years of legal wrangling, German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three other executives entered into a hearing to determine whether he will be extradited to the United States and face copyright infringement as well as racketeering and money laundering, according to Al Jazeera.
The self-proclaimed “modern-day pirate” entered the courtroom adorning sunglasses and a baseball cap, and was transported to the courtroom in his personalized Mercedes SUV, with a license plate reading “KIM.COM.”
The effort on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation started in 2012 with a raid on Dotcom’s New Zealand mansion with years of legal wrangling to follow.
The claim by U.S. authorities is that Dotcom his three Megaupload business partners cost film studios and record companies more than $500 million and generated more than $175 million in the trading and sharing of these media.
The current case unfolding in New Zealand does not need to determine guilt only whether extradition is the correct course of action and if there is a strong enough case to back a trial on US soil.
Beyond the outcome of Megaupload and Kim Dotcom, this is sure to be hallmark case determining just how far the U.S. government is willing to go to protect American copyright holders.