The lawyers of Kim Dotcom has filed an appeal with a higher court after New Zealand Judge Nevin Dawson allowed on Wednesday Dotcom's extradition to the U.S. He and several colleagues who operated the file-sharing website Megaupload are facing criminal copyright charges in the United States.
His co-defendants are Mathias Ortmann, Bram van der Kolk and Finn Batato, identifies Gizmondo.
American prosecutors are accusing of Megaupload of earning at least $175 million for allowing illegal download of movies, songs and television shows through the website, reports Fox. Besides copyright infringement, Dotcom is also facing racketeering and money laundering charges. If he is convicted, the German, who has taken residency in New Zealand, could be sentenced to prison term for decades.
Ron Mansfield, Dotcom's lawyer, believes the case could reach the New Zealand Supreme Court because of the interesting and complex legal issues involved in the extradition four years after U.S. authorities closed the website.
In giving the green light to the extradition, Dawson notes the preponderance of evidence which establishes a prima facie case for Dotcom to answer all respondents on each charge. His decision, however, was only a ruling if the U.S. has a valid case against Dotcom and not his guilt on the accusations.
In his defense, Dotcom says he should not be held responsible for users of Megaupload who did it for illegal purposes, and lawsuits should be heard only in a civil court. Dotcom was disappointed with the court's decision.