|
The
case will decide whether Dotcom, the founder of file-sharing
website Megaupload, and three other executives can be extradited
to the United States. Other charges include racketeering and
money laundering.
"This case is not just about me. This case is about how much
control we allow US corporations and the US government to have
over the Internet," Dotcom said on Twitter before the hearing
began.
Dotcom entered the courtroom wearing sunglasses and a baseball
cap, his Mercedes SUV with the number plate "KIM.COM" parked
outside.
Dozens of black-clad police, working in cooperation with the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, rappelled into Dotcom's New
Zealand mansion in 2012. Years of legal wrangling ensued.
U.S. authorities say Dotcom and the three other Megaupload
executives cost film studios and record companies more than $500
million and generated more than $175 million by encouraging
paying users to store and share copyrighted material, such as
movies and TV shows.
Dotcom greeted supporters in the gallery but sat apart from the
other accused men in a black leather arm chair brought to the
court from his mansion. He told New Zealand radio last week he
needed a special chair because of back problems.
The case is being watched closely by the media industry and
developers in the file-sharing business for signs of how far
Washington is willing to go to protect U.S. copyright holders.
The hearing is scheduled to take two weeks. Monday's session was
largely procedural and the case will resume on Thursday.
(Reporting by Nigel Marple in AUCKLAND; Additional reporting by
Charlotte Greenfield in WELLINGTON; Editing by Paul Tait)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
