Breaking: Megaupload seizures illegal says NZ High Court

So, who carries the can?

Given that the High Court considers that the law was broken, who takes responsibility for that?

Good news

Good news and a typical example of how the US just do whatever they want regardless of the law.

Haven't they already frozen his assets and such like though? What about those...?

"the country should “request” that US authorities return clones taken offshore."

<bark of laughter> Yeah... that'll be the day. And even if the "clones" are returned, I can guarantee you it won't be before copies are done.

Illegal Damage

So the raids were illegal, and impeded someone's business. How does NZ law deal with damages resulting from its justice system making a major boo-boo?

Another total failure from the nation of fail.... America.

Opposite Day

Is this Opposite Day?

The goal is achieved

And the business is destroyed and even better in the worst case kiwis will pay the damages! What not to like about lobbying - few millions and you have your hands neat and clean.

Illegal

That's against the law, right?

In the great scheme of things...

...I think what the USA has done here will have the following consequences:

- 1: NZ and other countries will be extremely careful when the USA tries to push this crap on them. Public opinion will side with MegaUpload-like services.

- 2: Other digital locker services -which have kept a very low profile since the MegaUpload case- will regain their confidence and start working again as in the 'good old days', perhaps being more careful in their compliance with 'Safe Harbor provisions'..

- 3: Bittorrent and eMule downloads speeds willl drop again to their levels in 2011.

- 4: In the eyes of potential investors, Megaupload -and similar services- have passed a sort of 'FBI test'. "Look, it's totally legit! Even the FBI could do nothing against them". Therefore if Megaupload can keep that IPO going, they'll probably make megatonnes of cash out of it, thanks to the FBI.

- 5: Taxpayers in both countries will foot the bills.

The USA accidentally shoot themselves in the foot here, several times :-)

free hard disks yay

Or does he just get the original ones which may have suffered somewhat

How about asking for a bond until they get the stuff back?

The US keeps a number of C-130 down in the South Island. I wonder Kim Dotcom can ask the judge for permission to retain one or more as bond until he get his stuff back.

Time for a real judicial system

NZ is still in the stone age.

NZ

1: Corrupt police (Gene Hunt style) who aren't afraid to fit people up for things they haven't done (multiple payouts, multiple cases. It's the _main_ reason that the Privy Council was abolished as the highest court in the land - it kept voiding cases and making pithy comments about the quality of t court and police proceedings) as well as indulging in or covering up things things like gang rape of drunken females in a station or having prisoners fall down the non-existant flight of stairs on the way to the cells.

1a: Of course such police never think to actually question the all-knowing, all powerful FBI and they would have loved the chance to raid and trash a fat rich boy's pad. Too many NZ cops were the schoolyard bully in their younger days.

2: Corrupt politicians, up to the level of ministerial orders shutting down criminal investigation of illegal commercial activities.

3: No press protection or freedom. Defamation cases are used at the drop of a hat to gag the press anytime they find information that companies, politicians or rich individuals don't want made public (NZ's version of the parliamentary expenses scandal almost didn't happen thanks to politicians using this tactic everytime someone got close - the only reason it blew open is because the journalist concerned got the story aired before the politicians knew about it. NZ had superinjunctions years before the UK was making use of them.)

4: Gang mentality: NZ doesn't just shoot messengers of bad tidings, it mobs them and stomps them into a bloody pulp.

5: Wilful blindness, aka sheeple: The average kiwi still thinks the politicians and police know best. The prevailing attitude is best summarised as "he got arrested so he's got to be guilty", along with the self-delusion that NZ is "corruption free" (Hint, it starts at the top, not on the street).

6: Transparency international NZ is govt funded and its internal workings are a closely guarded secret. Most actual transparency campaigners have been ejected form the organisation. That should raise eyebrows.

7: Susceptability to be blackmailed. France did it by blockading agricultural exports to the EU in order to get its DSGE agents back. The USA will do it to get Kim Dotcom (subtle things, such as cancelling visa waiver status, blocking agricultural exports or imposing punitive duty on imports)

8: Eager puppy syndrome. If you thought Tony Blair was a poodle, you haven't seen how NZ politicians try to curry USA/EU favour.

Good on the judge. She just seriously limited her career by making the correct ruling, instead of the expedient one.

Kim Dotcom will get damages awarded out of this, but probably no more than a couple million dollars and he'll become a target for police harrassment everywhere he sets foot. It's highly likely that his seized property will be in pretty battered shape when it's returned, along with photographic proof that it was always in that state.

NZ

9: Powerful companies with enough commercial power to _kill_ news stories by threateing to withdraw advertising.. The incumbent telco used this muscle to make a news story about a $250k fine for anticompetitive behaviour "go away" in the late 1990s between the time it was reported on the 6pm news on both TV channels and the time the 10pm news rolled around. The only media outfit which ended up reporting it was ComputerWorld.

The internet is changing things. It's hard to keep news covered up any more, unlike times gone by. Even 5 years ago, the FBI and NZ police would have gotten away with this stunt.

Keep at it

Good, good. Just keep whittling away at the case, finding more and more illegal moves. The man may have had a dubious past (allegedly, from some reports) but throughout the case, details have emerged that challenge the way things were done and the man deserves due process. It's just the good ol' boys of the US of A trying to rule world again. The country needs standing up to from now on.

REALLY?

So, they broake the law (big surprise)

Will Dotcom get his business back? What about all the lost business? What about all those that had lagitimate files? Where is the justice?

The sheepfucking NZers do get it.

That's the vast majority of Kiwis.

The ones who bother to actually think for themselves are seriously worried by what's been going down.

all this remind me of this for some reason :-D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItugh-fFgg