Kim Dotcom extradition hearing delayed again

  • Published
Kim Dotcom fistbumps a supporter
Image caption,
Mr Dotcom is currently on bail and has launched a political party in New Zealand

An extradition hearing for Kim Dotcom, who stands accused of "massive" piracy, has again been delayed.

Mr Dotcom ran Megaupload, a file storage site that authorities claimed was being used to store and share films and other content illegally.

The next hearing would be in February 2015, Mr Dotcom said on Monday. He is currently on bail and living in New Zealand. He has denied the charges.

The reason for the latest extradition hearing delay is not yet known.

Mr Dotcom's mansion home was raided by US and New Zealand authorities in January 2012.

The 40-year-old was arrested on the roof of his home, but has since been involved in a bitter back-and-forth relationship with New Zealand's courts, its politicians and figures in the entertainment industry.

Earlier this year, a New Zealand court ruled that the raid was legal, but that the US's cloning of electronic evidence was not.

Civil lawsuits

More recently, the court decided that Mr Dotcom did not have to hand over access codes to hard-drives seized in the raid.

Additionally, the entertainment industry has launched multiple lawsuits to run alongside the criminal case.

One, from a number of film studios, alleges that Mr Dotcom cost the industry $500m (£320m) in lost revenue.

Media caption,

As multi-millionaire Kim Dotcom launches a political party, the BBC's Dave Lee follows him on the campaign trail.

Mr Dotcom told the BBC earlier this year that he believed the civil lawsuits were a sign the industry believed the criminal case was faltering.

Since his arrest, Mr Dotcom has launched a new file storage site, Mega, and his own political party.

The Internet Party has since merged with an existing group in the country to become #InternetMana. A general election is set to be held in the country on 20 September.