Kim Dotcom Found in Safe Room

Kim Dotcom, founder of MegaUpload, was found in a safe room on Friday, according to Reuters. Police officers forced their way into Dotcom’s leased mansion in Auckland, New Zealand after Dotcom refused them entry. The officers eventually found him locked in a safe room which also contained a gun.

The raid was timed to target not only Dotcom, but also guests at his birthday party for their connection with the filesharing website MegaUpload and the alleged “Mega Conspiracy” that includes accusations of not only copyright violation but also money laundering and racketeering. In addition to Dotcom, six other alleged conspirators were charged by the United States Department of Justice. Given this international cast of characters, bringing all actors to justice will likely be a complicated and drawn-out process.

It’s easy to imagine that going from living it up at your birthday party to hearing helicopters overhead and being chased by dozens of police officers would be shocking and fear-inducing. The fact that Dotcom went to hide in a safe room containing a gun does not necessarily indicate any malicious intent on his part, but this fact could certainly be played up to further villainize Dotcom.

Nevertheless, Dotcom is evidently the mastermind behind MegaUpload, a site designed to store and exchange large files. Theoretically, the site could have been used for legitimate purposes. In fact, many celebrities and other content producers supported the site before it was shut down by the United States Department of Justice on January 19. The strategy to target the biggest stakeholders in a website that allows for the exchange of copyrighted material instead of targeting individual users makes a lot more sense. Nevertheless, if people want to download copyrighted content, MegaUpload was only one of many services that make that activity possible.

Dotcom’s over-the-top lifestyle may set him up to be broadly disliked. In an atmosphere increasingly concerned with copyright protection, however, it also seems likely that his case will be made into an example. There seems to be significant evidence against him as well as the potential for him to become an example in the fight to enforce copyright laws in the digital age. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how justice is applied in Dotcom’s case.


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