Beware the underdog, especially in the age of the Internet.
Kim Dotcom, the MegaUpload head who was arrested earlier this year at his New Zealand mansion for copyright infringement charges, is gaining ground—both in the legal and media fight against his accusers.
A feature in the New York Times details the alleged criminal’s growing number of recent legal wins—from a relaxing the terms of his bail to freeing up some of the cash seized by authorities in January for his legal fees. Last week, the enigmatic MegaUpload’s lawyers won big again—proving the January raid used the wrong kind of warrant and was thus illegal. Public support of Dotcom is shifting as well, with New Zealand residents believing police may have abused their authority.
MegaUpload’s case is a high-profile battle between owners and users of file sharing sites and authorities trying to protect copyright holders from piracy. Dotcom said over email that Hollywood’s movie houses had sent “armed forces to protect their outdated business model.” Next, maybe he’ll start dressing like Robin Hood.
Video by Krishnan Vasuvedan.
