https://www.scmp.com/rss/268560/feed Kim Dotcom is the founder of Megaupload, a now-defunct file-sharing online service that was registered in Hong Kong. The German citizen also has residency in New Zealand and Hong Kong. In January 2012, Dotcom was indicted in the US and accused of racketeering by facilitating massive copyright fraud. He was arrested in Coatesville, Auckland, New Zealand, during an armed raid and is fighting extradition to the US. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Elon Musk has said only Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to vote in future policy-related polls on the platform in his first comments since millions of users voted for him to step down as chief executive of the site. On Sunday, the Tesla boss said he would “abide by” the result of a poll, which he created, asking Twitter users whether he should step down. The result was confirmed on Monday, with 57.5 per cent of the more than 17.5 million accounts that voted saying he should withdraw from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3203951/elon-musk-says-twitter-restrict-who-can-vote-policy-after-own-poll-says-he-should-go-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3203951/elon-musk-says-twitter-restrict-who-can-vote-policy-after-own-poll-says-he-should-go-ceo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Dec 2022 06:14:33 +0000 New Zealand’s top court will hear Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom’s final appeal against extradition to the United States on fraud and online piracy charges, judges said on Thursday. The German national, who is accused of netting millions from his file-sharing empire, faces charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering in the US, carrying jail terms of up to 20 years. Internet guru Kim Dotcom plans to sue Hong Kong government A panel of five Supreme Court judges unanimously rejected an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2178978/new-zealand-top-court-lets-tech-exile-kim-dotcom-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2178978/new-zealand-top-court-lets-tech-exile-kim-dotcom-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Dec 2018 14:22:45 +0000 Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom suffered a major setback in his epic legal battle against online piracy charges Thursday when New Zealand’s Court of Appeal ruled he was eligible for extradition to the United States. The German national, who is accused of netting millions from his file sharing Megaupload empire, faces charges of racketeering, fraud and money laundering in the US, carrying jail terms of up to 20 years. Dotcom had asked the court to overturn two previous rulings that the internet... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2153844/megauploads-kim-dotcom-loses-new-zealand-appeal-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2153844/megauploads-kim-dotcom-loses-new-zealand-appeal-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jul 2018 03:11:30 +0000 By Daisy Hudson Silicon Valley millionaires are increasingly buying up land in Queenstown to prepare for a doomsday event, New Zealand’s own resident web mogul says. But whether that could boost the country’s technology industry is yet to be determined. Controversial multimillionaire Kim Dotcom recently set up home in the resort, making the move from Auckland with new wife Liz. Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom not a flight risk, New Zealand judge rules In his first interview since the shift, he... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2147559/kim-dotcom-reveals-new-zealand-city-thats-becoming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2147559/kim-dotcom-reveals-new-zealand-city-thats-becoming?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 May 2018 07:01:05 +0000 When flamboyant internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom launched his movie streaming website Megaupload in Hong Kong a decade ago, he had no idea his life would soon become as dramatic as the films he’s accused of pirating. Dotcom’s life was once a whirlwind of flashy parties with scantily clad models and helicopter rides, but the German millionaire’s life took a turn for the worse after a 2012 dawn raid on his New Zealand mansion, which kicked off a five-year legal battle with US authorities. Worthy... https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2079958/story-behind-kim-dotcom-movie-about-internet-millionaires-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2079958/story-behind-kim-dotcom-movie-about-internet-millionaires-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Mar 2017 23:30:57 +0000 New Zealand’s High Court ruled Monday that Kim Dotcom was eligible for extradition to the United States over online piracy allegations linked to his now-defunct Megaupload web empire. But defence lawyers immediately vowed to appeal the decision and maintain the long-running battle to stop Dotcom being sent for trial in the US. “We are far from defeated,” Dotcom’s barrister Ron Mansfield said in a statement. The last hurdle to what we say is the correct outcome – no extradition – will now need to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2072286/new-zealand-court-rules-kim-dotcom-eligible-us-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2072286/new-zealand-court-rules-kim-dotcom-eligible-us-extradition?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Feb 2017 04:28:18 +0000 Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom was Tuesday granted his wish to live-stream his bid to avoid extradition to the United States where he is wanted on online piracy charges. Attempts by the United States to block the live-streaming request were rejected by Judge Murray Gilbert in the Auckland High Court. Lawyers for the US argued live-streaming could pollute a potential jury pool if the founder of the Megaupload file-sharing service ended up on trial in the United States. Mega extradition... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2011115/breaking-new-ground-dotcom-wins-right-live-stream-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2011115/breaking-new-ground-dotcom-wins-right-live-stream-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Aug 2016 04:19:20 +0000 An appeal by flamboyant German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom over a decision to extradite him to the United States began in New Zealand on Monday, with the Megaupload founder’s legal team arguing the hearing should be livestreamed on YouTube. The High Court hearing opened in Auckland nine months after a lower court ruled the former Hong Kong-based Dotcom could be sent to the United States to face copyright infringement and money-laundering charges over the operation of file-sharing website... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2010665/megauploads-kim-dotcom-argues-extradition-appeal-should-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/2010665/megauploads-kim-dotcom-argues-extradition-appeal-should-be?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Aug 2016 07:21:27 +0000 The High Court has allowed internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom to access some of his restrained Hong Kong assets to pay part of his legal costs and for living expenses. Deputy judge Wilson Chan Ka-shun found the German-born businessman had fully disclosed his financial situation to a New Zealand court earlier this year. “I am satisfied that Dotcom is not able to meet his own [expenses],” the judge said. As a New Zealand court had allowed Dotcom to access NZ$80,000 (HK$406,000) per month for his... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1885720/court-allows-internet-entrepreneur-kim-dotcom-access-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1885720/court-allows-internet-entrepreneur-kim-dotcom-access-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:00:30 +0000 Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, who is wanted by the US government over a US$175 million copyright fraud, has asked a Hong Kong court to release about HK$18 million to cover legal costs and HK$405,000 in monthly payments for his living expenses. Dotcom, the founder of Megaupload, completed a 45-day extradition hearing in New Zealand last week. His legal team in Hong Kong is asking the High Court to change the terms of his restraint order in the city so that Dotcom can access his funds to pay... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1885362/kim-dotcom-asks-hong-kong-court-release-restrained-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1885362/kim-dotcom-asks-hong-kong-court-release-restrained-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Nov 2015 23:00:45 +0000 Prosecutors say Kim Dotcom and his colleagues sometimes revelled in their role as “modern-day pirates,” discussed how to thwart the justice system, and joked that a judge would one day realise how “evil” they were. The much-delayed extradition hearing for Dotcom and three others who owned or helped run the website Megaupload began in Auckland last week in a case that could have broader implications for Internet copyright rules. Megaupload was shut down by US authorities in early 2012, but not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1861743/modern-day-pirate-kim-dotcoms-words-now-used-against-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1861743/modern-day-pirate-kim-dotcoms-words-now-used-against-him?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Sep 2015 10:34:07 +0000 Renegade internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom says Hong Kong is a key battleground in his fight to stop the US government extraditing him from New Zealand to face charges of mass copyright infringement. Dotcom's now-defunct file-sharing platform Megaupload, which is at the centre of the case, never had a subsidiary in the United States, Dotcom said. That means US prosecutors have their hands tied as they can not indict an exclusively foreign company. "If we can establish this fact in Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1661660/hong-kong-key-battle-ground-us-copyright-case-kim-dotcom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1661660/hong-kong-key-battle-ground-us-copyright-case-kim-dotcom?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2014 08:45:00 +0000 Indicted internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom yesterday defeated efforts by prosecutors to send him back to a New Zealand jail or make him wear an electronic monitoring bracelet but says his long-running legal battle has left him broke. After a three-day hearing, Auckland District Court Judge Nevin Dawson ruled there was no evidence Dotcom had secret assets or posed a flight risk, according to Fairfax Media. US and New Zealand prosecutors had sought to have Dotcom's bail revoked, arguing he might... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1653474/internet-entrepreneur-kim-dotcom-not-flight-risk-new-zealand-judge-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1653474/internet-entrepreneur-kim-dotcom-not-flight-risk-new-zealand-judge-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2014 16:18:49 +0000 Lawyers for internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom are seeking to retrieve HK$330 million worth of assets seized by Hong Kong customs officers in 2012 at homes and offices linked to his Megaupload website. Dotcom's legal team in Hong Kong submitted an application to the High Court here on Wednesday on behalf of Megaupload, a Hong Kong-registered company, to set aside the restraining order that keeps the assets frozen. Dotcom's lawyers argue that more than two years after the raids, the US has yet to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1497924/kim-dotcom-going-court-unfreeze-his-assets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1497924/kim-dotcom-going-court-unfreeze-his-assets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Apr 2014 22:30:00 +0000 Kim Dotcom, accused by Washington of being one of the world's biggest internet pirates, plunged into politics yesterday with the launch of a party to contest New Zealand's general election in September. The alleged copyright pirate, also known as Kim Schmitz, said the Internet Party's guiding principles included faster, cheaper internet, the creation of hi-tech jobs, and the protection of privacy. It is a movement for people who … don’t like the political choices on offer KIM DOTCOM,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1458628/kim-dotcom-launches-new-zealands-internet-party-ahead-national-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1458628/kim-dotcom-launches-new-zealands-internet-party-ahead-national-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:15:45 +0000 Mega, the internet file-storage company launched last year by the indicted entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, announced plans yesterday to list on New Zealand's stock market. Documents filed with the stock exchange put Mega's value at NZ$210 million (HK$1.39 billion), although it will be investors who ultimately determine the company's worth once trading begins. Mega plans to achieve the listing through a manoeuvre that is known as a reverse takeover, using a small company that is already listed on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1457222/kim-dotcoms-new-company-mega-list-new-zealand-stock-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1457222/kim-dotcoms-new-company-mega-list-new-zealand-stock-exchange?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:15:30 +0000 Emirates Team New Zealand - facing a struggle to stay afloat after its epic failure in the America’s Cup - was offered an unlikely financial lifeline on Friday from internet mogul Kim Dotcom. The sailing team faces the prospect of losing its public funding in the wake of this week’s loss to Oracle Team USA, when it squandered an 8-1 lead to lose the regatta 8-9 in a result that has been described as one of the biggest chokes in sporting history. With Prime Minister John Key refusing to guarantee... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1318985/dotcom-fund-kiwis-next-americas-cup-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1318985/dotcom-fund-kiwis-next-americas-cup-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2013 05:22:13 +0000 Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom announced yesterday that he plans to launch a political party in New Zealand to contest next year's elections, drawing a scornful response from Prime Minister John Key. Dotcom said his plans were still embryonic but the yet-to-be-named party would launch on January 20, the second anniversary of an armed police raid on his Auckland mansion which resulted in him being charged with online piracy. "Wow! I'm getting so many encouraging messages about my plans for a new... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1301967/kim-dotcom-plans-set-political-party-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1301967/kim-dotcom-plans-set-political-party-new-zealand?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom accused New Zealand police of selectively applying the law on Friday after they opted not to prosecute intelligence officials who illegally spied on him. Police reviewed the actions of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) after it was revealed last year that the agency unlawfully spied on Dotcom before his arrest for alleged online piracy in January last year. They said on Thursday that the investigation had found GCSB staff illegally intercepted an... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1300721/kim-dotcom-blasts-new-zealand-police-cover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1300721/kim-dotcom-blasts-new-zealand-police-cover?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Aug 2013 12:51:30 +0000 New Zealand's speaker of Parliament has apologised to a journalist whose phone records were provided to an inquiry probing how she got a leaked report on the nation's spy agency. "This is completely unacceptable and I have personally apologised to the journalist concerned," David Carter said yesterday. "This private information should not have been released, and could be seen to attack the freedom of the press." It is the latest twist in a saga sparked by revelations that the Government Security... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1293233/new-zealand-speaker-sorry-releasing-journalists-phone-records?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1293233/new-zealand-speaker-sorry-releasing-journalists-phone-records?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom said on Thursday he was “in tears” after a European company deleted all the data it was hosting from his shuttered file-sharing site. Netherlands-based LeaseWeb announced it had deleted all Megaupload files from 630 servers. LeaseWeb said in a statement it hosted the data for over a year at its own expense without receiving any requests to access it or retain it before deciding the time had come to use the servers for other purposes. But Dotcom said in a series of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1264822/kim-dotcom-tears-after-megaupload-files-deleted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1264822/kim-dotcom-tears-after-megaupload-files-deleted?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Jun 2013 01:26:24 +0000 The global cyberspying scandal exposed by American whistle-blower Edward Snowden has taken a new twist, with the Hong Kong law firm representing internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom voicing fears US authorities may have intercepted confidential communication with their client. Haldanes wrote to the US Department of Justice last week to express fears that its privileged communications may have been intercepted. It sought assurances that this was not the case. Along with six others, New Zealand-based... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1263935/hong-kong-lawyers-kim-dotcom-fear-they-may-be-victims-us-cyberspying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1263935/hong-kong-lawyers-kim-dotcom-fear-they-may-be-victims-us-cyberspying?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A New Zealand judge on Friday ordered police to return any digital material seized in an armed raid on internet mogul Kim Dotcom’s mansion last year not directly related to the prosecution against him. The decision by High Court chief judge Helen Winkelmann follows a ruling last year that the raid in January last year on Dotcom’s Auckland mansion was illegal because the search warrants used were too broad to be considered reasonable. Digital material such as computer hard drives were taken in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1250518/new-zealand-police-ordered-return-dotcom-material?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1250518/new-zealand-police-ordered-return-dotcom-material?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2013 07:40:59 +0000 Ex-Hong Kong resident and flamboyant internet mogul Kim Dotcom said he was considering legal action against tech giants such as Twitter, Google and Facebook for infringing copyright on a security measure he invented. Dotcom, who is on bail in New Zealand as US authorities seek his extradition in the world's biggest copyright case, said he invented "two-factor authentication", which has been adopted by many major websites. Twitter became the latest major player to introduce the measure on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1244451/kim-dotcom-may-sue-twitter-google-facebook-over-copyright?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1244451/kim-dotcom-may-sue-twitter-google-facebook-over-copyright?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said on Thursday he was considering taking legal action against tech giants such as Twitter, Google and Facebook for infringing copyright on a security measure he invented. Dotcom, who is on bail in New Zealand as US authorities seek his extradition in the world’s biggest copyright case, said he invented “two-factor authentication”, which many major sites have adopted as a security feature. Twitter became the latest major player to introduce the measure on Wednesday... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1244027/kim-dotcom-mulls-suing-twitter-google-copyright-breach-2-step?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1244027/kim-dotcom-mulls-suing-twitter-google-copyright-breach-2-step?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 May 2013 03:35:15 +0000 New Zealand’s highest court ruled on Thursday that it will hear an appeal by Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and three colleagues as they seek to avoid extradition to the United States. The appeal to the New Zealand Supreme Court involves a ruling on evidence and represents one strand of the complex legal case against executives from the file-sharing site. US prosecutors shut down Megaupload last year, accusing the executives of racketeering by facilitating massive copyright fraud. Dotcom says... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1239007/new-zealands-top-court-takes-kim-dotcom-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1239007/new-zealands-top-court-takes-kim-dotcom-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 May 2013 09:23:21 +0000 A trip to New Zealand will put America’s chief prosecutor on the same soil as a flashy internet mogul who is fighting extradition to the United States on charges he assisted massive piracy of copyrighted movies and music. US Attorney General Eric Holder visits New Zealand next week for an annual meeting of a “quintet” of attorneys general from mostly English-speaking countries - and not to meet up with the entrepreneur Kim Dotcom. The founder of defunct file-sharing service Megaupload, Dotcom... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1228999/kim-dotcom-wants-see-top-us-lawman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1228999/kim-dotcom-wants-see-top-us-lawman?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2013 02:09:33 +0000 They look as different as chalk and cheese but Kim Dotcom and Julian Assange are, in some ways, identical. Both are former computer hackers wanted by the US government; both claim to fight for internet freedom; and both cannot travel freely. Both are also highly vocal about their self-worth, are media-savvy and are adept at winning public support. And according to Dotcom, the founder of now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload, the similarities he shares with the embattled Wikileaks founder do... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198133/big-bucks-and-big-brother?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198133/big-bucks-and-big-brother?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former Hong Kong resident and flamboyant founder of the now-defunct file-sharing site Megaupload, Kim Dotcom, says he plans to sue the Hong Kong government for the role it played in his company's demise. Dotcom, who legally changed his name from Kim Schmitz in 2005, is currently in a legal battle with the United States, which wants to extradite him from New Zealand to face charges of mass copyright infringement, racketeering and money laundering. He, along with six other co-defendants, has been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198343/internet-guru-kim-dotcom-plans-sue-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198343/internet-guru-kim-dotcom-plans-sue-hong-kong-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Kim Dotcom came to Hong Kong because it was a smart business choice; he stayed because of its "electrified soul". But now the self-styled entrepreneur is banned from returning to his penthouse suite at the Grand Hyatt in Wan Chai. Instead, he lives under house arrest in New Zealand ahead of his August court showdown with the US authorities who desperately want him extradited to the United States to face mass criminal copyright charges. Dotcom moved to Hong Kong in 2003 and built Megaupload, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198134/hong-kong-gave-inspiration-not-protection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1198134/hong-kong-gave-inspiration-not-protection?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom said on Tuesday that “interesting facts” will emerge in his ongoing pitched battle against extradition to the United States over copyright infringement. Speaking via Skype video link from New Zealand to the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, Dotcom promised “a really cool [court] hearing” in April focusing on evidence surrounding the January last year raid on his Auckland home. “There will be interesting facts revealed,” said the flamboyant German-born entrepreneur... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1189122/kim-dotcom-promises-interesting-facts-legal-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1189122/kim-dotcom-promises-interesting-facts-legal-struggle?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Mar 2013 03:52:58 +0000 The United States on Friday won a court appeal in its battle to extradite Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom from New Zealand. A New Zealand appeals court overturned an earlier ruling that would have allowed Dotcom broad access to evidence in the case against him at the time of his extradition hearing, which is scheduled for August. The appeals court ruled that extensive disclosure would bog down the process and that a summary of the US case would suffice. Dotcom founded the file-sharing site... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1166155/us-wins-appeal-battle-extradite-kim-dotcom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1166155/us-wins-appeal-battle-extradite-kim-dotcom?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:31:54 +0000 Kim Dotcom, the German-born internet entrepreneur fighting extradition from New Zealand over US claims of criminal copyright infringement, says he plans to launch an encrypted e-mail service to go with his encrypted file storage offering. Speaking from New Zealand via a Skype video link to London, Dotcom said that his new Mega file storage service which launched in January now had more than three million registered users who had stored a total of 125 million files in the first month of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1160343/technology-exile-kim-dotcom-launch-encrypted-e-mail-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1160343/technology-exile-kim-dotcom-launch-encrypted-e-mail-service?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Radio show that staged royal hoax scrapped SYDNEY - An Australian radio show at the centre of a hoax call controversy involving Britain's Prince William and his pregnant wife, Catherine, has been taken off air permanently. Two DJs of Hot 30 were sidelined by the Austereo network after making the prank call to the London hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge. The Indian-born nurse who transferred the call to the duchess' ward, Jacintha Saldanha, was found dead three days later, triggering a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1138180/briefs-january-29-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1138180/briefs-january-29-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 In the dark ages … the enemies of progress burned books … Today they are burning websites Kim Dotcom, launching a file-sharing website to replace the one closed down by the U.S.   We will go back to the time of Redbeard, of pirates, of Ottomans imposing ransoms Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, before his ousting, warned of North African chaos if he fell   Now it's time to tell [Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying] loudly that he's done a very bad job and hope that he'll listen Ho Hei-wah, director of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1132475/who-said-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1132475/who-said-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Indicted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom launched a new file-sharing website on Sunday, promising users amped-up privacy levels in a defiant move against the US prosecutors who accuse him of facilitating massive online piracy. The colourful entrepreneur unveiled the “Mega” site ahead of a lavish gala and press conference planned at his New Zealand mansion on Sunday night, the anniversary of his arrest on racketeering charges related to his now-shuttered Megaupload file-sharing site. Megaupload,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1132163/megaupload-founder-kim-dotcom-launches-new-file-sharing-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1132163/megaupload-founder-kim-dotcom-launches-new-file-sharing-site?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jan 2013 02:33:38 +0000 Kim Dotcom back in web business Internet tycoon Kim Dotcom announces a new file-sharing site at his Auckland mansion tomorrow, exactly a year after armed police arrested him at the same venue in the world's largest online piracy case. The 38-year-old, a Hong Kong permanent resident and German national, remains on bail while he faces a US extradition attempt on a range of charges, including money laundering, racketeering and copyright theft.   Survey reveals young people's hopes The world's... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1131260/talking-points?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1131260/talking-points?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Kim Dotcom, accused of the biggest US copyright infringement as founder of file-sharing website Megaupload.com, won permission from a judge to sue New Zealand’s spy agency for intercepting his communications. New Zealand High Court Justice Helen Winkelmann on Wednesday granted a request to add the Government Communications Security Bureau to Dotcom’s lawsuit against the country’s Attorney General over a January raid on his Auckland mansion. “I have no doubt that the most convenient and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1098824/dotcom-wins-permission-sue-nz-spy-agency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1098824/dotcom-wins-permission-sue-nz-spy-agency?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Dec 2012 02:35:05 +0000 Whether or not Kim Dotcom wins his fight with the United States authorities, he has already achieved total victory in the court of public opinion. The flamboyant internet businessman excels at thumbing his nose at the US. In doing so, he has become a cyberhero to geeks, hackers and programmers around the world. Now the one-time Hong Kong resident has done it again, promising to offer free broadband access to all households in New Zealand, his adopted country, with funds he hopes to get from... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1075683/kim-dotcom-geek-bearing-gifts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1075683/kim-dotcom-geek-bearing-gifts?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Kim Dotcom, the internet entrepreneur and former Hong Kong resident facing extradition to the US for alleged piracy, plans to give all householders in his new home of New Zealand free broadband access - financed by suing Hollywood studios and the American government. The flamboyant 38-year-old, formerly known as Kim Schmitz, made a fortune reputed to exceed £100 million (HK$1.24 billion) with his Hong Kong-based Megaupload file storage site. US prosecutors allege Mega-upload was involved in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1075574/dotcom-plans-free-broadband-nz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1075574/dotcom-plans-free-broadband-nz?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom on Thursday revealed plans to relaunch his file-sharing empire in January on the anniversary of his arrest in New Zealand on online piracy charges. Dotcom is free on bail but still fighting extradition to the United States following a raid on his Auckland mansion on January 20, when New Zealand police arrested him as part of a major US investigation into alleged copyright theft and shut down his website Megaupload. The 38-year-old German national announced on Twitter... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1074277/megaupload-boss-plans-relaunch-raid-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1074277/megaupload-boss-plans-relaunch-raid-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Nov 2012 09:08:21 +0000 In a move bound to provoke US prosecutors and entertainment executives, indicted Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom is planning to launch a replacement of his shuttered website and a new online music service this year. The file-sharing site that Dotcom started in 2005 was one of the most popular online sites before US prosecutors shut it down and filed racketeering charges against Dotcom and six other Megaupload principals in January. Megaupload was registered to offices in Hong Kong. United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1058851/megauploads-kim-dotcom-plans-launch-new-music-download-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1058851/megauploads-kim-dotcom-plans-launch-new-music-download-site?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologised yesterday to internet tycoon Kim Dotcom over an "unacceptable" bungle by government spies leading up to the arrest of the Megaupload boss. Key also ordered agents from the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to review their cases over the past three years to check whether there were other instances of communications being intercepted unlawfully. The apology came as a report into the illegal monitoring of 38-year-old Dotcom blamed the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1048924/new-zealand-pm-apologises-kim-dotcom-spying-bungle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1048924/new-zealand-pm-apologises-kim-dotcom-spying-bungle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 New Zealand Prime Minister John Key apologised on Thursday to internet tycoon Kim Dotcom over an “unacceptable” bungle by government spies leading up to the arrest of the Megaupload boss. Key also ordered agents from the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to review their cases over the past three years to check whether there were other instances of communications being intercepted unlawfully. The apology came as a report into the illegal monitoring of Dotcom blamed the agents for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1048446/nz-pm-apologises-dotcom-%E2%80%98unacceptable%E2%80%99-spy-bungle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1048446/nz-pm-apologises-dotcom-%E2%80%98unacceptable%E2%80%99-spy-bungle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Sep 2012 03:46:42 +0000 New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key has launched a inquiry into “unlawful” spying by government agents leading to the arrest of Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom, who is fighting extradition to the United States where he faces charges of internet piracy and breaking copyright laws. The probe may deal another blow to the US case after a New Zealand court ruled in June that search warrants used in the raid on Dotcom’s home earlier this year, requested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, were... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1046009/nz-launches-inquiry-spying-megaupload-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1046009/nz-launches-inquiry-spying-megaupload-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Sep 2012 05:36:14 +0000