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Kim Dotcom on a big screen at the lavish launch of Mega.
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The internet entrepeneur Kim Dotcom boasted on Sunday that his new file-sharing service, Mega {formerly Megaupload.com}, was the fastest-growing startup in internet history.
In
a bravado-filled launch at his estate north of Auckland, the
German-born entrepreneur ramped up his counterattack on US prosecutors
who argue that the site's predecessor, Megaupload, was at the heart of a
"mega conspiracy", a "worldwide criminal organisation" enabling the
exchange of copyright material.
"I've never seen anything like
this," Dotcom said at an event that was equal parts press conference,
polemic and buffoonery. "I've done a bit of PR and got a bit of
attention, that's certainly helped. But I never expected 250,000 user
registrations in the first two hours – I think it's unheard of. I don't
know of any other startup that has had this kind of early success."
The
site had seen more than a million visits in the first 14 hours, he
said, with more than half a million registering for the service, which
offers 50GB of free cloud-based data storage.
The launch was held at Dotcom's semi-rural home a year to the day after it was raided by New Zealand police in what was widely regarded as a bizarrely gung-ho operation at the behest of the FBI.
As
if the timing and rhetoric were not enough, the import of the new
enterprise was hammered home in an at times high-camp performance
featuring a mock invasion of the estate, with gun-waving, balaclava-clad
commandos descending the inner walls while a helicopter with "FBI"
painted on the sides flew overhead.
Earlier a pair of comperes
introduced Dotcom on stage as "a multimillionaire maniac, heavyweight
champion, three-time Academy Award winner and qualified veterinarian".
US
authorities are seeking the extradition of Dotcom and several of his
associates to face charges of conspiracy to commit copyright
infringement, money laundering and racketeering. Backed by Hollywood
producers, they allege that Megaupload knowingly and willingly profited
from the provision of a conduit for the exchange of pirated copyright
materials. The US case has suffered a series of setbacks in New Zealand's courts.
The
Motion Picture Association of America expressed scepticism about Mega.
"We are still reviewing how this new project will operate, but we do
know that Kim Dotcom has built his career and his fortune on stealing
creative works," it said.
Dotcom says advanced encryption built
into the new site is in part motivated by his growing awareness of the
importance of privacy issues. Before the Mega launch, he positioned himself as a leader in the
movement for "internet freedom", and said his own experience of being
illegally spied on – which resulted in a public apology from New
Zealand's prime minister – had informed his thinking.
On Sunday
night Dotcom said Megaupload had been unfairly targeted, and asserted
that half of all internet traffic was pirated material.
"They are trying
to blame us for an internet phenomenon … You can ask any ISP that
connects users to the internet, how much piracy traffic do you think you
have on your network, and anyone who will tell you less than 50% is a
liar. On the internet, piracy is so common that any internet company has
to deal with the same issues," he said.
"They can't blame me for
the actions of third parties. Megaupload was a dual-use technology. You
can use it for good things, and you can use it for bad things. If
someone sends something illegal in an envelope through your postal
service, you don't shut down the post office. If someone speeds with the
car he just bought, you don't go to the car manufacturer and say, hey,
we're shutting you down."
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