Mr Dotcom - a 38-year-old German also known as Kim Schmitz – is currently fighting the US government's case to extradite him from New Zealand on copyright piracy charges relating to his MegaUpload website.

Seized data

According to Radio Australia, Mr Dotcom’s lawyers are counting on international pressure to be applied to US Attorney General Eric Holder who is currently in New Zealand. They are also calling on the Australian Government to demand that US authorities return data seized from Australian users of MegaUpload.
Mr Dotcom’s lawyer, Robert Amsterdam of Toronto-based law firm Amsterdam & Peroff, claimed his client is being pursued for crimes that do not exist under US law, and that the US is acting as an ‘international bully’ for copyright control.

Criminal statutes

In a 38-page ‘white paper’ document, it is claimed that while copyright issues were normally treated as a civil matter, US prosecutors are trying to enact anti-racketeering criminal statutes in the case which claims MegaUpload cost copyright owners more than $500 million by offering pirated copies of movies, TV shows and other content.
Mr Dotcom, who is free on bail in New Zealand, faces an extradition hearing in August.