New Zealand, File-sharing | featured news

While Kim Dotcom's lawyers have been making steady progress in court, Mr. Dotcom has been gaining the public's favor in New Zealand... Mr. Dotcom — born Kim Schmitz and also known as Kimble and Kim Tim Jim Vestor — and three others connected with Megaupload were arrested in connection with U.S. indictments on charges involving copyright infringement and money laundering. At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice said that in all, seven people had been arrested around the world in connection with an investigation into online piracy of numerous copyrighted works, including music and films.

A New Zealand court has granted bail to two associates of the founder of online file-sharing website Megaupload, accused of being involved in a $175 million Internet piracy scheme.

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom was denied bail Wednesday by a New Zealand judge who determined that the file-sharing site executive poses a flight risk, the New Zealand Herald reported.

Police in New Zealand on Friday raided several homes and businesses linked to the founder of Megaupload.com, a giant file-sharing site shut down by U.S. authorities, and seized guns, millions of dollars, and nearly $5 million in luxury cars, officials said.