Kim Dotcom jokingly mulls ‘insanity defense’ as he vows to fight ‘deep state’ (VIDEOS)
Facing the real prospect of extradition to the US on several copyright charges, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom has again publicly vowed to “fight for internet freedom” and joked how his lawyers advised against an insanity plea.
Dotcom’s years-long battle through the New Zealand court system against criminal copyright and racketeering charges abroad took a hit earlier this year when it was ruled he could be transferred to the US to face trial. He stands accused of causing the loss of millions of dollars to copyright owners in the US through the file sharing website Megaupload.
The tech entrepreneur was indicted by a US grand jury in 2012 over the allegations. The case is one of the biggest internet legal cases in history, with the German-Finnish web mogul suffering a series of setbacks in his defense recently. Taking to Twitter to reassure supporters, Dotcom joked that he has been advised against mounting an “insanity defense.”
“Kim, an insanity defense won’t work in a copyright case.”— LawyerDamn 😎 pic.twitter.com/AJHRK2eRR4
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) October 7, 2018
Coming off the back of a Wellington high court defeat – where his request for information about him held by every government agency and minister was described as “vexatious” – Dotcom’s statement also showed a willingness to continue the long-running appeals process.
“I will continue to fight no matter what it takes,” he said.
“No matter where the journey will take me I will defend internet freedom, I will fight for your rights and I will stand up to the injustice brought upon us by the deep state.”
Insanity defense - Part 2 🤯😂😭 pic.twitter.com/qOhdkCEPVy
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) October 7, 2018
Dotcom, alongside Bram van der Kolk, Finn Batato, and Mathias Ortmann, faces decades behind bars if found responsible for “massive worldwide online piracy” and generating more than $175 million in illicit funds.
The men deny any wrongdoing, and Dotcom has argued extradition to the US is unlawful on the basis that copyright infringement in New Zealand is a civil case rather than criminal.
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