MEDIAWATCH: Damien Grant on Kim Dotcom case
Damien Grant is excellent today on the Kim Dotcom case…
Extradition attempts against Megaupload four are emotional and psychological abuse
To a layman US law isn’t clear when it comes to the delimitation of the criminal and civil. The now famous Safe Harbour provisions of the Telecommunications Act, Section 230, was designed to protect firms like Megaupload from exactly the sort of charges the renegade quartet are facing.
US prosecutors claim that the actions of Dotcom and his co-accused mean they invalidated that cover. Maybe. Maybe not. I know as much about US Telecommunication Law as I do about the correct use of the semi-colon; so I’ll let others better qualified than I answer that question.
For me, there is a bigger problem with this case. Van der Kolk and the others were not in the United States when these alleged crimes were committed.
Is it our position that if, as a resident of these shores, you do something here that is illegal in a foreign country that nation can demand you be sent offshore to live out your days in a foreign prison?
The imperial claim being made is that if anyone, anywhere in the world, breaks a US law then the US is asserting a right to drag them Stateside for punishment.
…the Kim Dotcom case was always about a political threat to Democrats to elevate corporate Hollywood profits into a National Security level so America could expand its jurisdiction into cyber space.
The unbelievable injustice of this entire fiasco should shame us all. Kim was illegally spied upon by the GCSB, he was set up by NZ immigration services so that he would enter the country in the first place, our security apparatus slavishly gave US agencies a live feed to the NSA during the raid, the entire event was politically motivated after Corporate Hollywood threatened to with-hold donations to Obama’s Presidential bid if they didn’t make a symbolic gesture against internet piracy, and the case against him is so weak it looks like incredible over reach by our authorities and US authorities…
Harvard professor says Dotcom allegations lack merit
Dotcom’s extradition hearing is due to start next week and the latest legal twist in the case has been filed in court this week.
In submissions put forward by Dotcom’s US lawyer Ira Rothken yesterday, Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig said the United States allegations lacked merit.
Mr Rothken told Morning Report today that the legal team was very pleased to have someone of Professor Lessig’s status say that Dotcom committed no crime.
“We think that it’s not only beneficial for Kim Dotcom, but for internet users across the globe, who make use of technologies like cloud storage on a daily basis.”
The United States has been trying to extradite Mr Dotcom since January 2012, when he was arrested on copyright and money-laundering charges relating to the now-defunct Megaupload website.
Later that year Mr Dotcom was found to be the subject of illegal spying by the GCSB, after which an independent review of the bureau was ordered.
Mr Rothken said the case against Dotcom should have been thrown out before it was even filed.
“We think the United States should take a look at this and seriously re-evaluate their case.”
Dotcom will appear before the court on Monday.
…this case has been an abomination of legal process, jurisdiction and injustice. You might not like Kim Dotcom, but the manner in which his rights have been breached and 70 odd armed paramilitary cops broke into his home and terrorised him and his family is as unacceptable as the abuses of power used in court against him.
This is not what our justice system should be used for, we are not a puppet for US interests, we should be a sovereign state with our own laws and judicial system that is beyond influence by America and their corporate overlords.
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This is not what our justice system should be used for, we are not a puppet for US interests, we should be a sovereign state with our own laws and judicial system that is beyond influence by America and their corporate overlords.
Yes.
This vendetta is way outside their jurisdiction. If the US corporate state wanted to respond seriously they could have implemented DNS blocks against MegaUpload, similar to China’s great firewall. But their preference is to persecute individuals like Assange, Dotcom, Snowden.
However KDC has been treated gently compared to those who expose the oil companies. Look up Steven Donziger and Chevron… & this is just the tip of the iceberg of corporate malfeasance. Something is rotten in the USA
+1 “…this case has been an abomination of legal process, jurisdiction and injustice. You might not like Kim Dotcom, but the manner in which his rights have been breached and 70 odd armed paramilitary cops broke into his home and terrorised him and his family is as unacceptable as the abuses of power used in court against him.”
What is worse is that what Dotcom was doing was never a crime in NZ in the first place. The US used the illegal searches to drum up more charges. Data sharing over the Internet is an activity that is currently happening every moment on You Tube and all over the internet and is legal.
This bizarre and lengthy witch hunt seems to be more about abusing international human rights aka NZ citizens to be extradited to the US for a start (especially if its based around an alleged civil crime)! Same type of witch hunt for Julian Assange morphing into extradition and whistleblowing being a crime!
NZ government should ‘be kind’ and settle this case. Not be an abuser of human rights and have NZ set a legal precedent that is wrong and against human rights.
Instead of standing up to the US on nuclear free this Labour government seems to be happy to stamp on human rights from grovelling to China with the Natz over milk powder and beef to placating Hollywood with a real life armed defenders raid (courtesy of the Natz) and 9 years of legal action to safe guard Hollywoods profits that seems have a big problem with abusing woman, where the ‘me too’ originated from. Not OK!
Don’t agree with Damien on most thing but 100% on this fiasco. Upset corporate America & the full force of the state will be used against you by mostly foul means!
If an allegation of copyright infringement can now dictate international law and extradition treaties then is New Zealand within it’s right to issue an arrest warrant for the Facebook owner, for providing a platform to distribute video of mass murder of Kiwi citizens in real time?
It was the great deflect from what was going on at the time, gee wizz we have a real crim in out midst living the highlife I recall the questions asked by John Campbell on TV3 about it to Jonky. With no answers. It is a dam disgrace.
Yes, indeed this head- in – the – sand naïve country allows those in so called power to bend over for the USA. And people like Stephen Joyce, (who previously owned TV3), Mr ‘ Fixit’ (or alternatively, ‘Dildo Joyce’), made DAMN sure Campbell was removed from the Australian privately owned TV studio , TV3.
Oh yes, eh Stephen.
So here it is again complete with all the bald faced skullduggery and political corruption against the private citizen of New Zealand exposing their methods.
Dissecting the GCSB bill – Campbell Live (Kim Dotcom scandal)
https://youtu.be/bxytPFfTozE?t=2
I guess Damien has seen it all happen before so knows what its all about, ie: Rodney Hide…
Here’s where I got the link from, and here’s where you can see the The Standards woke Te Reo Putake mouthing off like an idiot wanting Dotcom and Co extradited. What a complete wanker.
TV REVIEW: Kim Dotcom – Caught in the Web | The Daily Bloghttps://thedailyblog.co.nz › Bloggers › Martyn Bradbury
And here’s a little something more about the who’s, how’s ,when’s and where’s…just to refresh your memories…( unfortunately about that sordid political era… )…
John Key discusses Dotcom saga
https://youtu.be/4m1xwiyNl8w?t=104
So FUCK JOHN KEY ( the Liar) , and consider the lying little pony tail pulling, Panama paper rockstar as revealed. Have a listen to your favourite music, drink some wine or have a cup of tea, – but always be aware the little shark is still doing damage as you read this as are all the little mouth breathing right wing shitheads.
I’m off to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd,…
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Freebird – 7/2/1977 – Oakland Coliseum Stadium
https://youtu.be/QxIWDmmqZzY?t=2