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Kim Dotcom: I'll extradite myself to US if they give my money back Kim Dotcom: I'll extradite myself to US if they give my money back
(4 months later)
From a semi-rural suburb north of Auckland, Kim Dotcom is mounting an increasingly belligerent counter-offensive against US authorities' efforts to prosecute him over his now defunct Megaupload file storage site.From a semi-rural suburb north of Auckland, Kim Dotcom is mounting an increasingly belligerent counter-offensive against US authorities' efforts to prosecute him over his now defunct Megaupload file storage site.
In an interview with the Guardian, Dotcom, who remains on bail in Coatesville, New Zealand, awaiting an extradition hearing, declared himself to be in "fighting mood" and eager to refute a "case built on malicious conduct".In an interview with the Guardian, Dotcom, who remains on bail in Coatesville, New Zealand, awaiting an extradition hearing, declared himself to be in "fighting mood" and eager to refute a "case built on malicious conduct".
The charges against him, he said, were part of a "foul game" on the part of the US government, and that funds permitting, "I am going to war."The charges against him, he said, were part of a "foul game" on the part of the US government, and that funds permitting, "I am going to war."
Dotcom is being sought by the US to face criminal copyright charges related to the MegaUpload file storage site, which at its peak amounted for an estimated 4% of all internet traffic.Dotcom is being sought by the US to face criminal copyright charges related to the MegaUpload file storage site, which at its peak amounted for an estimated 4% of all internet traffic.
Prosecutors allege he and his co-accused associates were complicit in and encouraged the distribution of copyright-protected films, music and other material.Prosecutors allege he and his co-accused associates were complicit in and encouraged the distribution of copyright-protected films, music and other material.
The German-born New Zealand resident's remarks, in an email interview with the Guardian, follow Tuesday's announcement that his extradition hearing, scheduled to begin in less than a month, has been put back until April next year.The German-born New Zealand resident's remarks, in an email interview with the Guardian, follow Tuesday's announcement that his extradition hearing, scheduled to begin in less than a month, has been put back until April next year.
On Wednesday morning Dotcom laid down the gauntlet to the US department of justice, offering to travel to the US under his own steam and faces charges – with conditions. "Hey DOJ," Dotcom said on his Twitter account, "we will go to the US. No need for extradition. We want bail, funds unfrozen for lawyers and living expenses."On Wednesday morning Dotcom laid down the gauntlet to the US department of justice, offering to travel to the US under his own steam and faces charges – with conditions. "Hey DOJ," Dotcom said on his Twitter account, "we will go to the US. No need for extradition. We want bail, funds unfrozen for lawyers and living expenses."
He told the Guardian that the offer was genuine but he was not holding his breath. "Considering the way the US government has conducted their case and the way I was treated, I never expect to get a fair trial in the United States," he said.He told the Guardian that the offer was genuine but he was not holding his breath. "Considering the way the US government has conducted their case and the way I was treated, I never expect to get a fair trial in the United States," he said.
"We are not expecting to hear back regarding the offer and I remain committed to fighting extradition in New Zealand.""We are not expecting to hear back regarding the offer and I remain committed to fighting extradition in New Zealand."
Dotcom has 22 lawyers working on his case in different countries. He says he faces a mounting legal bill, exacerbated by the rescheduled extradition hearing.Dotcom has 22 lawyers working on his case in different countries. He says he faces a mounting legal bill, exacerbated by the rescheduled extradition hearing.
The delay was made inevitable by the need to first resolve a clutter of outstanding legal disputes. The Auckland high court ruled last month that the January raid on Dotcom's mansion was conducted illegally, that evidence has been wrongly withheld from his legal team, and that the FBI had inappropriately cloned hard drives and taken them from the country.The delay was made inevitable by the need to first resolve a clutter of outstanding legal disputes. The Auckland high court ruled last month that the January raid on Dotcom's mansion was conducted illegally, that evidence has been wrongly withheld from his legal team, and that the FBI had inappropriately cloned hard drives and taken them from the country.
An earlier district court instruction for the FBI to provide copies of cloned drives to Dotcom's lawyers is expected to be appealed, and other decisions may also be taken to higher courts.An earlier district court instruction for the FBI to provide copies of cloned drives to Dotcom's lawyers is expected to be appealed, and other decisions may also be taken to higher courts.
Those who interpreted the postponement as a victory for Dotcom were mistaken, he told the Guardian. "People might think it's good news. But it's not. Justice delayed is justice denied. And that's the foul game the US government is playing. They have terminated my business without a trial. They have frozen my assets without a hearing.Those who interpreted the postponement as a victory for Dotcom were mistaken, he told the Guardian. "People might think it's good news. But it's not. Justice delayed is justice denied. And that's the foul game the US government is playing. They have terminated my business without a trial. They have frozen my assets without a hearing.
"They are appealing the decision of a New Zealand judge who has ordered the US government to provide evidence before the extradition hearing starts.""They are appealing the decision of a New Zealand judge who has ordered the US government to provide evidence before the extradition hearing starts."
US authorities had dragged other countries into a vendetta driven by special interests, he said. "They have been misleading the Hong Kong and New Zealand government to destroy a legitimate business and 220 jobs by telling them stories about child pornography and terrorist propaganda on Megaupload," he said.US authorities had dragged other countries into a vendetta driven by special interests, he said. "They have been misleading the Hong Kong and New Zealand government to destroy a legitimate business and 220 jobs by telling them stories about child pornography and terrorist propaganda on Megaupload," he said.
"This whole case is built on malicious conduct. It is a stillborn case and everyone can see it. I am in a fighting mood and if I get my assets unlocked or somehow find funding to defend myself I am going to war.""This whole case is built on malicious conduct. It is a stillborn case and everyone can see it. I am in a fighting mood and if I get my assets unlocked or somehow find funding to defend myself I am going to war."
The Megaupload founder last week alleged that the pursuit of Dotcom was directly ordered by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, at the behest of Hollywood studio executives – a claim the Motion Picture Association of America has rejected.The Megaupload founder last week alleged that the pursuit of Dotcom was directly ordered by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, at the behest of Hollywood studio executives – a claim the Motion Picture Association of America has rejected.
Next in Dotcom's sights is Biden's boss, in a rather more colourful medium. Dotcom, who has been recording an album with the help of Black Eyed Peas producer Printz Board at studios belonging to Crowded House's Neil Finn, is expected to release a new song and video this week pointing the finger directly at Barack Obama. The song reportedly includes the lyrics ""We must oppose / those who chose / to turn innovation into crime".Next in Dotcom's sights is Biden's boss, in a rather more colourful medium. Dotcom, who has been recording an album with the help of Black Eyed Peas producer Printz Board at studios belonging to Crowded House's Neil Finn, is expected to release a new song and video this week pointing the finger directly at Barack Obama. The song reportedly includes the lyrics ""We must oppose / those who chose / to turn innovation into crime".
The track, Dotcom wrote in an email to the Guardian, would mark "the birth of a powerful movement and CHANGE".The track, Dotcom wrote in an email to the Guardian, would mark "the birth of a powerful movement and CHANGE".
Comments
54 comments, displaying first
11 July 2012 9:06AM
Good luck Kim! You'll need it against the real crooks you're fighting.
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11 July 2012 9:14AM
Regardless of the rights or wrongs of the case it's damning that they're permitted to inflict so much damage without due process and get away with it. Who next?
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11 July 2012 9:22AM
It's unfortunate that this case, which raises serious questions regarding intellectual copyright and digital innovation, has at its centre such a complete arse.
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11 July 2012 9:25AM
Thankfully the NZ justice system has proven to be much less pliable than the government. Still that's hardly a surprise given that it's a tory government led by an ex-currency trader.
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11 July 2012 9:34AM
@AnEmptyHourglass
It also makes other companies likely to think twice or do what they're told by the copyright lobby in case they get destroyed as well; without any need to show the law has been broken. Its a worrying abuse of power.
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11 July 2012 9:36AM
I must admit I don't know the details but I'd imagine any charges against Megaupload would be equally applicable to Google and YouTube. Just because a company creates the architecture which allows users to share content which can include copyrighted material, it doesn't mean the company itself is guilty of copyright infringement (as long as they aren't seen to be actively encouraging it).
Apparently Megaupload was starting to offer musicians contracts where they would offer music as free downloads and would get to keep 90% of the advertising revenues. Apparently this worked out as a much better deal than the traditional one offer by record companies. It could be said that the copyright cartel has a bit too much lobbying influence, has benefitted from a highly lucrative business model over the last century, and is too lazy to adapt and compete when the world changes around it. Heaven forbid that intellectual property and copyright laws should adapt to fit into the 21st century..
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11 July 2012 9:42AM
What has been quite interesting with this case is that whoever has been advising Kim.Com has been very clever in cultivating public support in NZ for him. He has started to become the popular small guy (figuratively!) working against the big bad American system. NZers love a battler coming in against the odds and this case is starting to fulfill all of these requirements.
My suggestion is that he runs for Mayor in next year's election!
Irrespective the charges appear to be have laid in a ham fisted manner that haven't withstood the scrutiny of the judicial system. Hard to see extradition ever happening now so perhaps the plan was to efffectively take him out of the game by any means.
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11 July 2012 9:50AM
The vested interests of the US and the arrogant belief that they are above the law are plainly exposed in this case. The Americans operate an empire in all but name.
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11 July 2012 9:51AM
true; the US vice-Pres and the MPAA are fully qualified arses!
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11 July 2012 9:58AM
Yeah, Jo Biden has a foul mouth to boot.
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11 July 2012 10:00AM
Don't know about "less pliable". More like the political connections on both sides, and the inept lawyers, etc., who made this whole thing possible (they screwed up so much you couldn't make it up) had hoped the US would have its grubby hands on Dotcom by now and it would all be a bit academic.
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11 July 2012 10:02AM
This episode has been nothing but an extension of decades of US 'crusade launching'. The invasions of far eastern and middle eastern lands in the name of 'freedom' and anti-terrorism have given the US the boldness to bully passive goverments such as the UK, Sweden and New Zealand into doing their dirty work for them... Countries seemingly all too willing to hand over their own citizens and tax-paying residents to US justice that is often shown to be harsh and corrupt, without due process.
The shameful and probably ultimately illegal 'scorched earth' policy of trashing or withholding all Megaupload user files (both legal and allegedly illegal) is a disgrace and further strengthens the idea that the corporations and the rich have too much hold on government policy.
Democracy? Don't make me laugh!
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11 July 2012 10:07AM
That's it in a nutshell. Wherever you are, if you piss off Biden's buddies, they will OBL you, within or outwith the law, and you will go bankrupt trying to defend yourself against state-funded prosecution that has such resources it matters not that your persecutors are dingbats and halfwits.
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11 July 2012 10:11AM
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11 July 2012 10:21AM
See, if NZ can manage not to extradite their own citizens why is the UK so utterly incapable of doing the same? The news about Richard O'Dwyer this week was utterly depressing. I think the rest of the world must have missed the memo about America being appointed the chief of police of the internet...
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11 July 2012 10:24AM
It's so sad that this individual has apparently exploited his New Zealand citizenship to run an empire facilitating piracy.
New Zealand should think twice before giving individuals like this citizenship.
When in New Zealand a few years ago I met another exploiter of New Zealand, an Iraqi who told me he had settled in New Zealand only in order to take advantage of its educational opportunities and qualify as a dentist, after which he said he intended to take his New Zealand qualification and make his way to a lucrative career elsewhere.
Raise your barriers New Zealand! You're being taken for a ride by an undesirable element!
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11 July 2012 11:00AM
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11 July 2012 11:03AM
I love Kim Dot Com. He should do his own rap videos in the style of 2 Live Crew or something, with scantily clad women dancing in the background, on a beach somewhere.
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11 July 2012 11:03AM
Dotcom is not and has never been a NZ citizen.
But even if he was, allegiances between people in both administrations (US the Sheriff and NZ Deputy Dawg) wouldn't see that as an issue, as Dotcom is supposed to be an example.
People who conspire are often quick to allege the same of others. It is on their minds. Constantly.
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11 July 2012 11:08AM
Dotcom is not a NZ citizen and neither has he, it would appear, broken any laws, either in the US or NZ. You need to check the DMCA.
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11 July 2012 11:13AM
CityGardens
It's so sad that this individual has apparently exploited his New Zealand citizenship to run an empire facilitating piracy.
Just how is it right for any Government to ignore all it's own laws that guarantee due process and justice for all, to prosecute an individual who is doing no more (providing links to media) than Google, Facebook, Youtube and other mega corporations do with impunity every day. Not just for it's own citizens but people all over the world (but mostly the easy targets, of course). Whilst I understand that media piracy does cost the entertainment industry some money, they don't seem very poor to me. You should read Courtney Love's article on how the foul, greedy, entertainment mega company's treat their 'artists'. Even in a good case, most artists rarely see more than 5% of the income from their hard work, most of them end up working their lives in debt to pay back the 'loans' that were provided at the start of their relationship with the media companies. I believe that, if it wasn't for piracy, we would all be paying £30 for a CD and £20 for an album download. If you don't believe me, remember Sony, who put Viruses (from pirate sources - ironic eh!) on CDs to try and prevent you making legal copies of your own CD purchases. They also tried to make it so that you would have to have a different CD for the car, to the one you play in the house, trying to make out that the one in your car is an 'outside licence' and can be heard by people who don't own the music. This is an old article but worth reading:http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/viewpoint/0102/yourrights.htm It demonstrates the lengths media companies will go to to maximise revenue. We should all understand that the media industry is driven by greed and avarice and they will stop at almost nothing to force us to pay ridiculous amounts of money to listen to or see the same music and films on different formats and/or downloads ad infinitum. I am in danger of going on a bit now, but please, try and see the bigger picture.
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11 July 2012 11:15AM
You are so confused it is hard to know where to begin, but let's keep it short and snappy for the sake of comprehension and limited time.
Typically, parasitic content publishers around the world get filthy rich by exploiting and at the expense of those who create it. They do this by slicing and dicing global markets, screwing the creators as hard and as long as possible and corrupting the law and undermining morals wherever they can.
Operations like CD-Baby do care about creators, but they are few and far between.
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11 July 2012 11:18AM
the antipodes
Well said and succinctly put. It makes me angry that the general public are happy to be screwed by these companies and will pay £10 for a download of a 40 year old album or of a new album that they never truly own and can play on only a handful of selected devices.
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11 July 2012 11:20AM
If he was American, I don't see this ever happening in the first place, as mentioned earlier, youtube has arguably more copyrighted material than any other site on the internet. Don't see the FBI closing that down.
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11 July 2012 11:28AM
Yet another thieving swine who is supported only by people who never understood what it means to make a living for oneself, legally.
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11 July 2012 11:44AM
We live in a democratic dictatorship !
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11 July 2012 11:50AM
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11 July 2012 11:59AM
This 'case' is not about copyrighted material. If it were, the US would have built that case before charging him and seizing his assets and the material under the company's control.
And they would not have so blatantly ignored international law unless they were certain this case would never go to court. They broke so many international laws that the case would be thrown out of court at once.
So are they stupid or arrogant, or do they simply have something else in mind. One might assume that they are simply gathering client information found on the hard drivers in order to pursue future cases having little to do with the original charges.
I would never have supported Dot or his misbegotten fortune before the US action, but there is frankly no choice but to support him now. He has become the poster boy for the fight against US arrogance.
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11 July 2012 12:06PM
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11 July 2012 12:11PM
"It could be said that the copyright cartel has a bit too much lobbying influence, has benefitted from a highly lucrative business model over the last century, and is too lazy to adapt and compete when the world changes around it."
Too lazy? No, too greedy!
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11 July 2012 12:16PM
there was pressure to shut megaupoad down.....from hollywood US government did that NZ government didn't want dramas from us government or hollywood either so they shut it down with a dawn raid out of the flicks and figured they'd worry about the details later. commando job done. all the big boys happy and dotcom out of business facing a huge lawyers bill. good luck to him in his endeaviurs.whatever the ins and outs of internet copyright law are.....raids and searches and taking stuff without due protocol is unacceptable in a modern western nation. and frankly does not bode well for any citizen's future.
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11 July 2012 12:28PM
It'a a fucking tragedy that mega uploads music service didn't happen (due to the spineless shits in Washington). Free music downloads where the artists still gets paid and a big fuck you to the major labels, they weren't going to have that, so the FBI had to swoop in like the morons they are.. I'll be supporting the big man 100%.. The internet of late is looking a lot less fun without people like Kim to mess things up. 1st this, then BTjunkie, Pirate Bay blocks, they're all disappearing (I bet there's still millions of disgusting websites up, funny how copyright bothers them more?)
I'll make my own entertainment from now on, i've brought enough over priced CDs/DVDs etc over the years. BTW piracy for artists is pretty useful often, a lot actually stick their stuff up to the torrent sites, good exposure you see, all for free.
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11 July 2012 12:42PM
Just because a company creates the architecture which allows users to share content which can include copyrighted material, it doesn't mean the company itself is guilty of copyright infringement (as long as they aren't seen to be actively encouraging it).
Followed by:
Apparently Megaupload was starting to offer musicians contracts where they would offer music as free downloads
You seem confused, SkaWars. They 'aren't seen to be actively encouraging' downloads, but they 'offer music as free downloads'. Make your mind up.
The 85 who recommended your post have made their mind up already, I see. Logic goes out the window when there's free stuff at stake.
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11 July 2012 12:51PM
How old is that Courtney Love link now? An awful lot has happened since then. Yes, most record deals were terribly exploitative, but they've cleaned up their act a lot since. I recommend this article, which gives a truer picture of the situation now, also from an artist's perspective:
http://thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/meet-the-new-boss-worse-than-the-old-boss-full-post/
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11 July 2012 12:51PM
Hollywood should make a film about this and ironically angle it towards Kim being innocent and violated by Hollywood lobbists and the US government. That would confuse the hell out of all of us, which I'd enjoy.
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11 July 2012 12:54PM
When you hear how compliant megaupload actually was with the authorities when there were suspicions of breaking privacy laws or anything illegal at all, it's really those of a liberal nature that should be complaining!
This case is dead in the water. End of the day, all they provided was cloud based storage.
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11 July 2012 12:58PM
This really should be added to the article:
http://gizmodo.com/5877987/the-best-worst-photos-of-megaupload-kim-dotcom
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11 July 2012 12:59PM
hollywood
Films are not just made in Hollywood, they're often made by people with no more money than you or me. They deserve payment for giving us art.
Or do they? Nah - fuck 'em. I hate Tom Cruise, with his flashy cars and beautiful wives, so let's just screw everybody creative over by downloading their stuff for free and calling it a democratic revolution.
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11 July 2012 1:04PM
mooganistic: "You seem confused, SkaWars. They 'aren't seen to be actively encouraging' downloads, but they 'offer music as free downloads'. Make your mind up."
The artists signed-up to the Megaupload deal agreed to let people download the material for free. The dowloading of material made by artists signed elsewhere was never encouraged.
So much for your logic.
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11 July 2012 1:13PM
Was it, or was it not, possible through the same website to illegally download artists who hadn't signed up to this wonder scheme? It was a contemptible bit of legal trickery to try and get support from gullible 'tech companies do no wrong' activistes. And you swallowed it.
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11 July 2012 1:20PM
He was making ALOT of money from CRIMINAL activity, end of he's going down and even O.J Simpsons lawyer won't get him off this one.
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11 July 2012 1:21PM
Yeup made by people like me who dont earn millions but still earn more than teachers and most doctors, which probably isnt right. Thing is if people weren't paid millions or expect to earn millions films would still get made, they could then be rented at a fraction of the cost and no one would need or bother pirating. Good old capitalism created the problem... Oh and finally little films rarely get pirated anyway, it's the huge films where there's a lot of money to be made (often through lucrative back end points) that do.
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11 July 2012 1:26PM
Still, the American authorities have to answer a case for infringing privacy. What about the private files they accessed, that weren't videos?
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11 July 2012 1:31PM
No you miss the point - Megaupload were starting to offer contracts to musicians whereby they offer their music for free but keep 90% of the ad revenues from the traffic to the hosting page. I doubt whether they were offering that for music which was copyrighted and owned by a record label, but for music which the artist themselves had control over. This is completely different to users uploading material which infringes copyright, which happens on YouTube and other social sites constantly. The term 'making an example of' springs to mind..
Most musicians make only a small percentage of their income from sales, whether CDs or downloads. This has always been the case for the majority but is even more so now that downloads have eaten into CD sales. Musicians make more money from performance, syncing music to adverts etc. The internet has changed the world in many ways and people have adapted accordingly, but this has serious challenged the business model and monopoly control of the music and film industries.
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11 July 2012 1:32PM
Good luck Kim! You'll need it against the real crooks you're fighting.
I very very strongly disagree with your sentiment. Kim has allegedly helped millions not pay for copyrighted material, allegedly thus helping destroy many, many jobs and many artists' lives, and these are extremely serious allegations of really evil wrongdoing, and warrant proper enforcement and if necessary punitive action.
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11 July 2012 1:34PM
It makes me angry that the general public are happy to be screwed by these companies and will pay £10 for a download of a 40 year old album or of a new album that they never truly own and can play on only a handful of selected devices.
But we're not talking about essentials like potatoes or water or electricity here, are we? Entertainments are meant to enrich your life, you choose to buy them, nobody is forcing you! How, then, can we be 'screwed' out of £10 for an album (which seems to me a really quite low price)?
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11 July 2012 3:23PM
Yeup made by people like me who dont earn millions but still earn more than teachers and most doctors, which probably isnt right.
Why isn't it right? If you are indeed a filmmaker, then go for it - there's no shame in earning as much as you can from your work.
And if your earnings go up, there's no cutoff point where it's: wrong to download... wrong... still wrong... ok, now he's passed the million-a-year threshold, go for it, it's morally ok.
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11 July 2012 3:37PM
No you miss the point - Megaupload were starting to offer contracts to musicians whereby they offer their music for free but keep 90% of the ad revenues from the traffic to the hosting page.
I got that first time, thanks.
I doubt whether they were offering that for music which was copyrighted and owned by a record label, but for music which the artist themselves had control over.
Shit music nobody wants, in other words. We already have umpteen legal outlets for that on the net - Soundcloud, Bandcamp, MySpace, for example. This idea would have meant, simply, that Dotcom gets to look philanthropic, the 'legit artist' bit of his site gets little or no traffic (check amount of traffic on a no-copyright, no record company artist on MySpace if you don't believe me) and in the meantime it's drawing more customers in to his main business area so advertisers are happy.
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11 July 2012 6:16PM
theantipodes, are you sure Dotcom is not a NZ citizen. I have found a reference on the internet stating "The Government granted Dotcom a New Zealand citizenship at $10 millon".
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11 July 2012 6:32PM
There rumours that major producers and artists were all looking at what he was offering. He was also said to have been offering some upfront payments to big name artists for original material.
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Megaupload founder fighting extradition from New Zealand says he is determined to beat American authorities at their 'foul game'
From a semi-rural suburb north of Auckland, Kim Dotcom is mounting an increasingly belligerent counter-offensive against US authorities' efforts to prosecute him over his now defunct Megaupload file storage site.
In an interview with the Guardian, Dotcom, who remains on bail in Coatesville, New Zealand, awaiting an extradition hearing, declared himself to be in "fighting mood" and eager to refute a "case built on malicious conduct".
The charges against him, he said, were part of a "foul game" on the part of the US government, and that funds permitting, "I am going to war."
Dotcom is being sought by the US to face criminal copyright charges related to the MegaUpload file storage site, which at its peak amounted for an estimated 4% of all internet traffic.
Prosecutors allege he and his co-accused associates were complicit in and encouraged the distribution of copyright-protected films, music and other material.
The German-born New Zealand resident's remarks, in an email interview with the Guardian, follow Tuesday's announcement that his extradition hearing, scheduled to begin in less than a month, has been put back until April next year.
On Wednesday morning Dotcom laid down the gauntlet to the US department of justice, offering to travel to the US under his own steam and faces charges – with conditions. "Hey DOJ," Dotcom said on his Twitter account, "we will go to the US. No need for extradition. We want bail, funds unfrozen for lawyers and living expenses."
He told the Guardian that the offer was genuine but he was not holding his breath. "Considering the way the US government has conducted their case and the way I was treated, I never expect to get a fair trial in the United States," he said.
"We are not expecting to hear back regarding the offer and I remain committed to fighting extradition in New Zealand."
Dotcom has 22 lawyers working on his case in different countries. He says he faces a mounting legal bill, exacerbated by the rescheduled extradition hearing.
The delay was made inevitable by the need to first resolve a clutter of outstanding legal disputes. The Auckland high court ruled last month that the January raid on Dotcom's mansion was conducted illegally, that evidence has been wrongly withheld from his legal team, and that the FBI had inappropriately cloned hard drives and taken them from the country.
An earlier district court instruction for the FBI to provide copies of cloned drives to Dotcom's lawyers is expected to be appealed, and other decisions may also be taken to higher courts.
Those who interpreted the postponement as a victory for Dotcom were mistaken, he told the Guardian. "People might think it's good news. But it's not. Justice delayed is justice denied. And that's the foul game the US government is playing. They have terminated my business without a trial. They have frozen my assets without a hearing.
"They are appealing the decision of a New Zealand judge who has ordered the US government to provide evidence before the extradition hearing starts."
US authorities had dragged other countries into a vendetta driven by special interests, he said. "They have been misleading the Hong Kong and New Zealand government to destroy a legitimate business and 220 jobs by telling them stories about child pornography and terrorist propaganda on Megaupload," he said.
"This whole case is built on malicious conduct. It is a stillborn case and everyone can see it. I am in a fighting mood and if I get my assets unlocked or somehow find funding to defend myself I am going to war."
The Megaupload founder last week alleged that the pursuit of Dotcom was directly ordered by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, at the behest of Hollywood studio executives – a claim the Motion Picture Association of America has rejected.
Next in Dotcom's sights is Biden's boss, in a rather more colourful medium. Dotcom, who has been recording an album with the help of Black Eyed Peas producer Printz Board at studios belonging to Crowded House's Neil Finn, is expected to release a new song and video this week pointing the finger directly at Barack Obama. The song reportedly includes the lyrics ""We must oppose / those who chose / to turn innovation into crime".
The track, Dotcom wrote in an email to the Guardian, would mark "the birth of a powerful movement and CHANGE".