Does the government have a responsibility to protect innocent third parties from collateral damage when it seizes their property in the course of prosecuting alleged copyright infringement? That is the question a US federal district court will consider next week in the latest skirmish in the legal battle between the US government and Megaupload.
Good news, people! Kim Dotcom — Megaupload founder and large guy who loves to live large — is recording a music album! According to his lawyer, Paul Davison, it’s part of a “musical project” that may produce some money for him.
For as big of a deal as the MPAA made about shutting down Megaupload, the trade association is certainly interested in maintaining users’ data for some reason. Oh, it’s so the MPAA can sue some more people? Right, of course.
At least two scams targeting users of file-sharing services have emerged over the last few days. So far, the reports all come from overseas, but if it’s happening in Germany, then similar scams elsewhere are very likely. Watch out.
When New Zealand authorities raided the estate of MegaUpload boss Kim Dotcom, they confiscated nearly $US200 million worth of property. But, as it turns out, the court order authorising this seizure was invalid because the police filled out the wrong paperwork. Oops.
When Megaupload fell overnight, one of the biggest complaints was that users were immediately shut out of their document storage. That includes plenty of US Government officials — something Kim Dotcom is helping to rectify.
Kim Dotcom may be many things — international playboy, car collector, ladies man — but as far as he’s concerned, a pirate he is not. In his eyes, he’s simply a man who offered a storage solution.
New Zealand news sources report that Megaupload co-founder Kim Dotcom was released on bail today almost exactly one month after he was arrested. The only catch is that he can’t stray too far from his house or use the internet. Ouch.
On January 20, dozens of New Zealand police’s elite special forces broke into Kim Dotcom’s mansion with assault helicopters, M4A3 automatic weapons, Glock pistols, dogs, sledgehammers and even a circular chainsaw, as if they were expecting a vicious narco gang waiting inside, armed to the teeth.
