Kim Dotcom Facing Extradition In New Zealand Court

Kim Dotcom may finally have to face the music.

A court hearing began in New Zealand on Monday, which will determine whether or not Kim Dotcom will be extradited to the United States on charges of copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering, according to Reuters.

Dotcom is the founder of the file sharing website Megaupload, which he founded in 2005, according to the Daily Mail. His house was raided and his assets were frozen in 2012 when he was first taken into custody.

Four years later, he's finally getting his day in court.

Officials believe Dotcom and three others accused were paid more than $175 million by customers they were selling copyrighted movies and television shows to, according to Reuters.

In its prime, Megaupload accounted for nearly four percent of worldwide Internet traffic, according to the Daily Mail.

Before the hearing began, Dotcom released the following message on Twitter.

"This case is not just about me. This case is about how much control we allow U.S. corporations and the U.S. government to have over the Internet," he tweeted, according to Raw Story.

The hearing is scheduled to last two weeks, and it is being watched closely by the media industry. How the U.S. handles this copyright case determines the precedent for copyright infringement cases for years to come, according to Raw Story.

Tags
New zealand, Copyright infringement, U.S., Racketeering, Money laundering, Extradition
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