While MegaUpload, a cyberlocker site, is still seized by the U.S. District Court, a procedural snafu may force the New Zealand government to return confiscated goods and money to site founder Kim Dotcom.
New Zealand police admit that their “application for the restraining order had ‘confused’ legal moves by opting for one in which Dotcom was not given a chance to mount a defence,” reported The New Zealand Herald.
As a result, the restraining order against the flamboyant businessman has been called “null and void” by New Zealand Justice Judith Potter, and the country may have to return a treasure trove of exotic cars, artwork, cash, and jet skis belonging to Dotcom, reported the Herald.
Dotcom was arrested on Jan. 20 by the New Zealand government at the request of the U.S. The 38-year-old was indicted on criminal copyright infringement and his site MegaUpload was shut down. For a fee, MegaUpload allowed user to store any sort of content on its servers. About 36 percent of the uploaded content included feature-length and non-pornographic films, and 99.2 percent of those films were copyrighted, according to a study by Envisional.
Dotcom was released on bail about three weeks ago and called his indictment “complete nonsense.”
News of the procedural error was the topic of two front-page Reddit posts Saturday and Sunday, where users chastised the U.S. for its involvement.
“This whole case stinks to high hell,” commented badp4nd4. “The fact that the FBI can seize domains that are hosted in other countries simply because they have the registrars by the balls makes me sick. Where is the assumption of innocence and due process.”
Redditor BaileeLake tried to explain why New Zeleand cooperated with the U.S. in bringing Dotcom down in the first place:
“The U.S. is putting massive pressure on our Government over this, and we could be sanctioned. On the other hand, John Key [Prime Minister of New Zealand] enjoys being popular, and the New Zealand people really, really hate our country taking it up the arse from the US and would throw a fit at the ballot box. For proof, see the anti-nuclear debate, the Warner Brothers and Hobbit union battles and now this whole Dotcom saga. This paperwork ‘mistake’ appears just a little bit too convenient…”
Screengrab from 3news.co.nz