New Zealand’s Court of Appeal has ruled that Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz, is eligible for extradition to the United States.

The German national, who is accused of industrial-scale online piracy, had asked the court to overturn two previous rulings that he and his three co-accused be sent to the US to face charges.

Instead, a panel of three judges backed the FBI-led case, which has dragged on for more than six years.

The saga is widely seen as a test for how far the United States can reach globally to apply American firms’ intellectual property rights.

The court said in a statement that: “The evidence relied on by the United States discloses a clear prima facie case to support the allegations that the appellants conspired to, and did, breach copyright wilfully and on a massive scale for commercial gain.

“An extradition hearing is not a trial. It is held to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to commit a person for trial on a qualifying offence.”

 

Read the full article at source: RTE